The Words I Couldn't Say
by vampireunicorn101
Summary: Sasuke has been in love with his best friend for years, but has kept it to himself, believing his feelings were unrequited. Sometimes, though, keeping something to yourself is the worst thing you can do. Yaoi NaruSasuNaru AU disclaimer inside
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was supposed to be a oneshot, with Naruto and Sasuke skipping off into the sunset in the end. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't seem to want the story to end that easily, and I suddenly found myself writing a multi chapter fic. The problem with multi-chapter fics is I need to plan them; oneshots, I just write. Suddenly I found myself needing more backstory than I started with; I think I've managed to fill all the plot holes...I really hope so, anyway! I've never posted something that wasn't completely finished before, so I'm fairly nervous, but if I left chapter one sitting any longer, I would start to rip it appart. Chapter two needs editing, then I'll post it. I'm currently writing chapter three**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, and I make no money from this fic**

The Words I Couldn't Say

Chapter One

Sasuke stared at the mask in his hands, running his fingers over the black satin, circling the eye holes, caressing the purple and black feathers that formed a crest around it. This would be the last time, he thought, the very last time that he indulged in his desires. A knock on his door made him jump. Swallowing a sudden pang of guilt, he quickly slipped the mask back into the draw, and unlocked his bedroom door.

A slender woman, her strawberry blonde hair falling in a feathered bob around her face, stood in the doorway, her hand raised to knock again. Her hand dropped, and she shot him a smile as Sasuke slipped out of his room, shutting the door behind him. Sakura Haruno was his fiancée, and one of the main reasons that he seemed to constantly have a flock of crows trying to peck their way out of his gut. The match had been pretty much arranged by his parents; they had introduced them, and Sasuke had agreed to date Sakura, mainly to get his parents off his back. However, as much as he had grown to like Sakura, he didn't love her. He couldn't love her; he was in love with someone else. Also, there was the issue of her gender. For the past 3 years, Sasuke had put Sakura off, telling her that he didn't believe in sex before marriage. Or indeed, doing anything more than holding hands before marriage. The hypocrisy ate at him, sometimes. If only she knew.

More and more, he felt he was being unfair to Sakura. It was wrong of him to expect her to marry someone who couldn't love her; but he could find no way to break it off without hurting her. Unless he told the truth; but that was something he could never do. There was no point, anyway; even if he confessed, there was no way he could be with the one he loved. So there they were, both trapped, and Sakura was still innocent enough not to realise. Sasuke really hated his life.

"Your Mother sent me to tell you that dinner was almost ready," Sakura said, letting out a small sigh as her not so subtle attempt to see into Sasuke's room was thwarted by his swift closing of the door.

"I'll accompany you down, now," he replied, offering his arm to her in a gesture that had become instinctual, a behaviour drummed into him since infancy.

He led her down the wide corridor; the décor was designed to reflect the regency period, when the house was first built. Paintings of former scions of the Uchiha line hung on the wall, the distinctive dark eyes glaring down from gilt frames. Sasuke tried not to shy away from their censure, to walk with confidence down the hall he was destined to inherit.

They walked down the wide staircase at the end of the corridor, Sakura wobbling slightly. Sasuke glanced down, and noticed that she was wearing new shoes with high stiletto heels. He wondered if she was trying to impress him; now that he thought about it, the neckline of her dress was very low for a family dinner, her small breasts exposed practically to the nipple. He supposed his father would enjoy the view.

They were the last ones to arrive; as was his mother's custom, family dinners were never just family, and the long table was fairly full this evening. His brother was there; obviously feeling well enough to attend. Sasuke was glad; the last few times Itachi had been too unwell to leave his room. Itachi's illness, a wasting disease that even the top doctors had been unable to cure, was the reason that Sasuke was the heir and not Itachi. Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to resent Itachi, though. The sickness had messed up both their lives. Itachi's friend Neji sat beside Itachi, making sure that all the cutlery was in reach so Itachi didn't have to lean to get anything.

Sasuke's mother and father sat at opposite ends of the table, interacting as little as possible. His father was speaking to Itachi, and his mother was having an animated conversation with her best friend, Kushina Uzumaki. Sasuke felt his heat begin to pound; he could hear it echoing in his ears. If Kushina was there, then…his eyes fixed hungrily on the blond sitting a few seats down from Kushina. Naruto was his best friend; their mother's had been pregnant at the same time, and the two of them had practically been raised together, dragged off to the different rallies and causes that Kushina supported.

Sasuke had been in love with Naruto for as long as he could remember. He had, however, managed to keep his feelings to himself. He and Naruto had never spoken of things like feelings; as far as Naruto was aware, Sasuke was happily heterosexual and in love with his fiancée. It made sense, since Naruto was in the same position himself, although he and Hinata had yet to announce any formal engagement. Sasuke's eyes flicked briefly to the shy girl sat next to Naruto. He didn't want to hate her, but it was hard when she had everything he wanted.

Sasuke sat opposite Naruto with a small sigh. The blond glanced up, and fixed Sasuke with his devastating grin, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Well, I lose that one," he said.

Sasuke blinked, confused. "I beg your pardon?"

"I bet Hinata that you would spend the afternoon brooding in your room, and that we wouldn't see you tonight."

Hinata blushed, and buried her face in her water cup. Sakura glared at Naruto. Sasuke frowned.

"Why would I be brooding?" He asked. He had always been very careful to ensure that no one saw through the façade he had built up around himself. Surely Naruto of all people hadn't penetrated it.

Naruto raised a shoulder in a careless shrug, moving his glass as a maid placed the first course in front of him. He turned to thank the maid, and shoot her another one of his smiles before answering Sasuke. "Because you've been a major pain in the ass all week."

Both Sasuke and Sakura hissed at him; Fugaku Uchiha deplored bad language

Naruto continued, ignoring them both, "And I figured that something must have crawled up your butt, and when you're all pissy about something, you tend to avoid people."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why he was in love with Naruto. "I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth.

"So fine that you're going to go and sulk in your room straight after dinner?" Naruto bated.

Sasuke was a bit stuck with that one; he was going to have to leave straight after dinner, but certainly not for the reasons that Naruto was thinking. He settled for shooting Naruto a glare.

Dinner went the same way it always did; Sakura babbled cheerfully at Sasuke's side, trying to entice him in conversation, while Sasuke was forced to watch Naruto flirting with an impossibly red Hinata. Surely she was used to it by now, Sasuke thought irritably. She didn't have to blush every damn time Naruto paid her a compliment. Kushina drank too much, and ended up dancing on the table; ignoring Fugaku's glare and Mikoto's embarrassed pleas for her to stop. Naruto just laughed. Naruto laughed again when Sasuke left early, begging a headache. He left his barely eaten food, feeling Naruto's knowing gaze on his back.

Sasuke locked his door behind him, leaning against the solid wood. Sometimes he wished he could be more like Kushina, and just not give a damn what other people thought. Well, he was going to do what he wanted that night, anyway. Sasuke pushed away from the door, leaving the dutiful son behind him.

He peeled off the tie, shirt and trousers like a snake shedding its skin, before stepping into the shower, the scene of so many of his Naruto fantasies over the years. Curling his lip in a sneer at his own stupidity, Sasuke scrubbed himself clean, as if he could scrub away all responsibility, Itachi's illness, Hinata, Sakura, his own unrequited love.

Sasuke took his time sorting his hair, making sure that it spiked out at the back just right. He knew he was stalling, but he couldn't help it; tonight would definitely be the last time. He closed his eyes, banishing the guilt that was rising inside him; he refused to feel it tonight. Tomorrow would be soon enough to feel bad. In a fit of pique he flung his comb across the room.

He dressed quickly; tight, black leather trousers, a dark purple shirt that clung to his body like a second skin, and knee high boots with steel buckles. He grabbed the mask from the draw, gripping it tightly. Normally he would line his eyes with kohl, but the mask would cover it up. Definitely the last time, he thought as he opened his window, quickly climbing down the trellis that he had positioned for this purpose.

He stalked through the dark garden, keeping close to the house. The only place he had to be wary was when he passed the back lounge, where his family and friends usually went after dinner. Tonight a window was open, and he could hear their voices, laughing and joking. Sasuke squeezed the mask in a death grip, hearing Naruto's laugh louder than anyone's, bubbling with pure joy. Sasuke's heart clenched, and he snuck a peek as he passed the window. Naruto had Hinata sat on his knee, her face pressed against his chest. Sasuke studied the blond's profile for a long moment, wishing desperately that things were different. He turned and left, stifling the bleakness in his soul. He didn't look back, so he didn't notice Naruto's head turning, the blue eyes following him as he dashed to his car.

Sasuke was hit by another wave of doubt as he drove into town. He shouldn't be doing this; not only was he betraying Sakura, he was betraying Naruto, too. He drove around the block five times, circling the large rundown building that was his destination. In the end, though, he crumbled. He parked his car in the large car park behind the club; despair won over guilt, as it always did. Even though he knew the guilt would be back, for a few hours he could live out his fantasy, even if it was a hollow shadow of what he really wanted.

The club was an interesting one, something that Sasuke had discovered a few years back. The whole ground floor was a gay bar; compete with a DJ and large dance floor. However, that was just a front for the real purpose of the club. Sasuke thought of it like a brothel where everyone was the whore. For a small fee you could go upstairs, where there was a smaller dance floor. However, the main purpose was not to dance, but to hook up. Leading off from this area were rooms; some were just bedrooms, and would fit in in a cheap hotel. Others were tailor-made to appeal to all sorts of fetishes and kinks. Anonymity was encouraged, hence the mask.

Sasuke slipped on the mask before entering the club. It covered the top half of his face, the feathers blending in with his hair. He liked to keep his mouth free. He didn't always bring the mask, sometimes he fooled himself into thinking that he would just dance, that he wouldn't go upstairs. But he always ended up there, always looking for the same thing; a blue eyed blond of the right height and build, a stranger that he could pretend was someone else.

Sasuke didn't bother with the ground floor of the club that night; he went straight upstairs, paying the bouncer on the door without looking at him. The smaller dance floor was crowded, bodies writhing and crowding together, making it look like some sort of orgy. Which sometimes actually happened, or so Sasuke had been told. That really wasn't his thing, though. He scanned the crowd, his eyes catching the occasional flash of blond; none of them were right, so he kept on looking.

A feather light touch on his arm brought his head snapping away from the crowd to the man who had managed to creep up on him. Sasuke found himself looking into deep blue eyes. His heart thudded, and his mouth turned dry. The man was clad all in black; black jeans, black shirt, and a black silk hood that covered his head, obscuring all but his eyes. But it didn't matter that Sasuke couldn't see the blond hair, not when he was faced with those eyes. The hand on his arm tightened, and Sasuke let himself be led away.

He trailed the masked man through a back door, and down a narrow corridor, his boots sticking to the filthy carpet. Doors lined the corridor. The man tightened his grip on Sasuke's arm, and they stopped. Sasuke watched as the man opened the door, then followed him into the room beyond. He was almost disappointed to see that it was one of the normal rooms; the hood had turned his fantasies darker, had made him think about being tied up. The man locked the door behind them, and for a long while they just looked at each other, silently.

Eventually, Sasuke took the initiative. He walked towards the other man, staring into those blue eyes. He reached out with one hand, and cupped the bulge in the front of the man's jeans. It felt thick and hard, and a wave of lust rolled through Sasuke. With a small moan he dropped to his knees, unzipping the jeans and freeing the cock within them. Sasuke caught it in his hands, noticing the blond curls at the base. He reached out with his tongue and lapped at the head, the taste making him groan. He glanced up to find blue eyes looking down at him, and he felt his own cock go uncomfortably rock hard in his trousers.

Sasuke slowly slid the cock into his mouth, cupping the length with his tongue as he moved down, relaxing his throat, trying to get all of it in. he moved his hands, gripping the jean clad hips, not stopping until his nose was buried in the blond curls. He felt the zipper graze his cheek, and head the man let out a low groan, slightly muffled by the hood. It was the first sound that Sasuke had heard him make since he had grabbed his arm. That was fine; Sasuke preferred that the men he had sex with didn't speak. It helped to maintain the illusion.

Sasuke swallowed around the cock in his mouth, causing the man to let out another groan. Then he sucked, hollowing his cheeks as he dragged his lips up the shaft, caressing it with his tongue as he did so. He felt the man's hands on his face, then his mask was being removed. He looked into the blue eyes, feeling fingers tangle in his hair. Sasuke would have smiled if his mouth wasn't full of cock. He began to move up and down the shaft slowly, teasingly. The hands in his hair tightened, and he felt the hips under his hands jerk, as if the man was trying to hold back. Sasuke let his hands drop, not wanting to restrict the man. He didn't want gentle, or considerate. He didn't deserve that.

Sasuke released the cock with a wet popping sound. "Fuck my mouth," he said, his voice echoing hoarsely in the dark room. He took the cock back into his mouth, teasing the head with his lips, licking at the slit and tasting the salt of pre-come.

With a groan the man tightened his grip in Sasuke's hair, and thrust with his hips, sinking his cock deep into Sasuke's throat. Sasuke used his lips and tongue as best as he was able to while the man used his mouth with long, deep thrusts. Sasuke moaned around the thick cock, imagining what it would feel like buried deep in his ass. His trousers were ruined with the amount of pre-come leaking from him. He wanted to grab the man's hips, but he worried that it would be taken the wrong way, and the hard thrusts would stop. He clenched his fists instead, burying his nails into the palms of his hand.

Abruptly, the man ripped Sasuke's head from his cock. Sasuke stared into eyes darkened with lust, and his heart pounded, painfully loud. Sasuke let himself be dragged to his feet, and pushed towards the bed. He was bent over the baseboard, the wood digging into his stomach until he propped himself on his hands. Sasuke spread his legs, anticipation thrumming through him. He felt strong hands grip his hips, then slip around to unfasten his trousers. One slipped in and caressed his cock, making him gasp and writhe. His trousers were pulled down until his boots arrested their movement. The hand returned briefly to his cock, before moving behind to caress his balls. The other hand slid up his back, caressing along his spine. He felt the cock, still wet with his spit in the crease of his ass, ghosting past his hole, and causing him to tremble with desire.

The hands and cock moved away, and Sasuke let out a gasp at their loss. He heard a soft ripping, and the click of a cap being flipped open. Then the hand was back, probing between his ass cheeks, now slick with lube. A finger pressed against his hole, and with a sigh Sasuke relaxed enough to give it entry. The man behind him let out a soft whisper that was muffled by his hood. Sasuke pushed up, impaling himself on the finger that was moving too slowly. He wanted more, and he wanted it now. He wanted to feel the throbbing burn of being breached by a cock, the mixture of pain and pleasure that could just about drive him mad.

He let out a small sob of frustration as the finger was removed. But the man seemed to have somehow read his mind, because the finger was replaced with the thick head of the man's cock, pressing against him, demanding entrance. Sasuke relaxed his hole as much as he could, wanting desperately to be filled. The man had lubed his dick, but it still burned as it forcibly stretched Sasuke. The man went so slowly that Sasuke felt he could scream in frustration. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He bore back, using his palms pressed on the bed for leverage. He felt the cock sink into him, deep and hard, brushing against his inner walls, pressing the spot inside that made his stomach flip in a weird vertigo. Pleasure twisted with pain, the two sensations ruling him, taking him over driving everything away, the guilt, the hurt. The world compressed, until the only thing that mattered was the cock inside him, driving him crazy.

The man began fucking him with slow, steady thrusts; out, until just the tip was stretching his hole, then in, deep until he felt the man's balls against his. The man gripped his hips tightly, using the leverage to get his thrusts deeper. Sasuke could hear his breath coming in gasps as the thick cock dragged against his prostate, sending tingling jolts of pleasure through his balls and cock, swirling in his stomach. His cock ached, and he longed to touch it, but the baseboard of the bed was in the way, and with the man's hands on his hips, there was no way that Sasuke could twist to get a hand free. It was an agony bordering on ecstasy.

The man let out a groan, and his thrusts began to speed up. Sasuke gasped at the pleasure that swirled through him. He began to push back, meeting each thrust, loving the harsh thwack as their hips met. Normally he would drift into fantasy, imagining Naruto's blue eyes, thick with passion meeting his, Naruto's hands and mouth on his body, Naruto kissing him. He didn't kiss the guys he fucked, but he imagined it, with Naruto. But the hard fucking from the masked man, the deep thrusts of his heavy cock, drove everything from Sasuke, even fantasy. It was too good; it was as if the man was trying to drive himself into Sasuke, to claim him. And Sasuke wanted it; the feeling of being possessed, of being wanted, needed. Then the pleasure was mounting, taking him over, and with a gasp of Naruto's name he came so hard his head rang.

The man lasted a bit longer, five hard, deep thrusts that had Sasuke half hard again, then he came, grunting out something that was muffled by the mask and the blood pounding in Sasuke's ears. Sasuke crumpled bonelessly as the man released his grip on his hips, pulling out of him and leaving the baseboard of the bed as his only support. Sasuke managed a graceless tumble to the floor, still breathing heavily from the aftershocks of his orgasm. A full minute passed before he could raise his head and look at the man. Blue eyes met his, steady and unblinking, as if waiting for Sasuke to speak. Sasuke opened his mouth, but couldn't summon the words. Five long drawn out minutes passed, each second feeling like an hour. Then the expression in the blue eyes changed, and the man turned to leave.

Something inside Sasuke snapped, and suddenly he had to know. He jumped to his feet, tugging up his trousers to cover his damp, flaccid cock. the man must have heard Sasuke's fumbling because he had half turned around when Sasuke grabbed his hood. So Sasuke was confronted by those blue eyes, wide with surprise, set in Naruto's face, instead of the back of his spiky blond head.

"I really thought that you were going to let me leave," Naruto said softly.

Sasuke stared wide eyed at the man he loved, wondering when he had dropped through the black hole into an alternate dimension. The hood dropped from his numb fingers, fluttering to the floor between them.

"Sasuke," Naruto said softly, reaching out to him. Naruto's hand was a hairsbreadth from Sasuke's face when he ducked out of the way. He pushed past Naruto, managing to unlock the door and duck out before Naruto could react. Then he ran; his mind numb. Only one thought entered it; away. He had to get away from Naruto.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A bit of Naruto's PoV :) Chapter 3 is written, but needs a lot of tweaking, so I'll put it up as soon as it is done.**

**Big thanks to all who have read, favourited and reviewed so far :D**

Chapter Two

Naruto lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been three days since he had last seen Sasuke. He had been tempted, very tempted, to barge into the Uchiha mansion, but he had given Sasuke his privacy, sure that his friend would seek him out once he had sorted things out in his head. However, Naruto only had a certain amount of patience, and it was pretty much worn out. Looking back, he was willing to admit that his plan wasn't the best, but he had become desperate. And he had been sure that Sasuke would have got over himself by now, and come to see him.

Letting out a sigh, Naruto flopped onto his stomach. The last year had been pure hell, all down to Sasuke's stupid stubbornness. He had always thought that his love was one sided, and had come to accept it. He hadn't told Sasuke, because they didn't talk about things like that. Plus, if he couldn't have Sasuke as a lover, he could at least keep him as a friend. Then, just over a year ago, he happened to see a familiar face in a club he sometimes went to. Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised that Sasuke lived a double life, the same as him, but Sasuke had always seemed so happy to have Sakura hanging off him, spouting her inane babble and making Naruto want to hit her. Or not hit her, because she was a girl. Maybe just stamp on her delicate, feminine toes.

Still, seeing Sasuke going off with other guys had eaten at Naruto in a way that seeing him with Sakura never could. Until Naruto had noticed something; every guy Sasuke picked up looked like him. Barely daring to hope that his feelings were returned, Naruto had began his campaign to make Sasuke his. Hinata had been phase one. The shy girl was chronically scared of men; despite this, her father was constantly trying to set her up with various heirs. Hiashi Hyuuga was notoriously obsessed with status, never mind his daughter's fragile mental state. Naruto had managed to stop her hyperventilating long enough to explain his plan. They would pretend to date; Hinata would avoid any more potential fiancés being thrust upon her by her father, and Naruto would make Sasuke jealous enough to admit his feelings for Naruto.

The plan had sort of worked; Hinata had been left alone by her father, and Sasuke had become jealous, but the stubborn bastard hadn't done anything about it, apart from fuck blond guys that weren't Naruto.

That was when Naruto had decided that show might be better than tell. Again, Sasuke had thwarted him; he had recognised Naruto, but for some reason had decided that denial was a better place to be. Naruto wanted to strangle him. Now that he had had Sasuke, he could never go back to casual fucks. Naruto covered his eyes with a groan. He had to go to Sasuke; there was no way that he could last another day without seeing him, but he didn't want to screw things up anymore than they already were. It was time to come clean, and speak to the one person he could rely on to judge the situation correctly. He needed to speak to his Mother.

He found Kushina in her art studio. His father, Minato, indulged his mother in a lot of ways, from letting her keep her last name, and passing it on to Naruto after they married, to allowing her to turn one whole wing of the house into an arts and crafts centre. She sometimes held classes for underprivileged kids, mucking about with clay and paints and all other sorts of messy things. Naruto loved it; often he would help her out.

Kushina's personal studio was on the top floor, a room with a window that covered the whole back wall. It was where she did her own, personal art work, and the only people who had been in there apart from herself, were Naruto, Minato and Mikoto.

Naruto waited for her to notice him, sitting in the chair reserved for that purpose. He was partially dreading this conversation; the only person who knew he was gay was Hinata. Well, and Sasuke now, he supposed. Bending the guy over a bed and fucking him up the ass was a pretty good "I'm gay" declaration. It wasn't that he was worried about his mother being horrified, or prejudiced; quite the opposite. He was worried that she would drag him to gay pride marches. Maybe an outsider would see it as a stupid reason to keep his sexuality quiet; but then, they didn't know how focused Kushina could be when she had her mind set on one of her causes. Still, she had to find out sometime, especially now Naruto had decided that he was going to make things work with Sasuke. It might as well be now.

Finally, Kushina put her paintbrush down and turned to face him. There was a streak of pink on her cheek, the colour clashing horribly with her red hair.

"What's up, chickpea?" she asked, stripping off the paint spattered shirt she used to protect her clothing. She balled it up, and threw it into a corner, where a pile of similarly abused shirts languished.

Naruto sighed wondering where to begin. "I think I made a mistake," he said slowly, "with Sasuke."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, and dragged a chair over so she could sit in front of him. She straddled it backwards, resting her folded arms on the top of the backrest. "What sort of mistake?" she asked.

"I…I sort of had sex with him," Naruto replied, cringing.

Kushina laughed. "How do you sort of have sex with someone? You either did or you didn't."

"OK, then I did," Naruto replied, "and now he won't speak to me." That had come out sounding a lot more petulant than he intended.

Kushina sighed. "Maybe he's just not comfortable about being gay?" She suggested.

Naruto snorted, thinking about all of Sasuke's bed partners, thinking about how hot he had been for Naruto's cock. Sasuke seemed pretty comfortable about being gay. It was Naruto he had a problem with.

"No," Naruto said, "it was the way I did it."

There was a long pause, then, as if she didn't quite believe she was saying it, Kushina slowly asked, "you didn't force him, did you?"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, "I would never…wait. Why are you not surprised by any of this?"

Kushina smiled. "Sweetheart, I've known you were gay since we watched Labyrinth, and you spent the whole film staring at David Bowie's crotch."

"I was five!" Naruto spluttered.

Kushina shrugged, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I must admit I was surprised about the whole Hinata thing, then I saw the way you looked at Sasuke, and the way he glared murder at Hinata, and I realised what you were doing. Mikoto knows, too. She's a bit upset because she was set on organising a wedding, but I've explained all about civil partnerships, and she thinks she can work something with that." She shot Naruto a happy grin, as if Mikoto's acceptance of civil partnership over a traditional wedding sorted everything.

Naruto found that speaking to his mother had helped; now he knew exactly how Sasuke felt, like the whole world had been dragged out from under him and re-formed.

"So," Kushina asked, "how did you have sex with Sasuke?"

And that was a question no son should ever have his mother ask him. Naruto buried his head in his hands with a groan. "I was…sort of in disguise," he said finally.

"Ooh, like cosplay? Kinky."

"Not helping, Mum,"

"Sorry."

Naruto heard her shifting in her seat, but kept his head in his hands, as if that would make the whole thing any easier.

"So. I was in disguise, but Sasuke knew it was me, I could see it in his eyes, but I decided to play along with his game. So we, well…you know…and then he pulled my mask off, and then he ran away."

"Did you say anything to him?"

"Not really."

"Did he say anything to you?"

Sasuke's voice, saying _fuck my mouth,_ in a tone that was pure sex. Naruto groaned. "Not really," he replied.

"OK. I know what's wrong," she said.

Naruto raised his head hopefully. "You do?" he asked.

Kushina nodded. "Yup. You two suck at communication" she said. "I mean, seriously, you've been in love with the guy for years, and what do you do? Do you tell him how you feel? No. You don't even tell him you're gay. You just use a cockshy girl to make him jealous. And when you do have sex with him, you let him pretend you're some anonymous stranger. Far be it for me to comment on Sasuke's weird kinks, but I raised you to be better than that."

Naruto sighed. She was right; but Sasuke was so hard to talk to. "So I should speak to him?" he asked.

Kushina rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said. "Now come here and give me a hug; I'm so proud of you for telling me this. I'm sure it will all work out."

Naruto fell into his mother's arms with a small sigh. Because he knew, no matter how hard telling his mother was, it would be a million times harder to have this conversation with Sasuke.

It was several hours later that Naruto stood outside the Uchiha mansion. He had spent a while procrastinating over what to wear, eventually settling on the t-shirt and jeans he had originally put on to mope about the house in; it was Sasuke and he was pissed at him. Naruto doubted that he would pay attention to Naruto's clothes.

The butler opened the door, and slowly flicked his gaze up and down Naruto, as if he was considering sending him around to the servant's entrance. Maybe Naruto should have dressed with a little more care; the man had known him since he was a baby.

"I'm here to see Sasuke," Naruto said after the silence became uncomfortable.

The butler let out a long suffering sigh, and opened the door wide enough to let Naruto in. Naruto shot him a grin of thanks, before making his way up the stairs to Sasuke's room. Outside the door he hesitated; if he knocked, and didn't say anything, there was a chance that Sasuke would ignore him, because he was an ignorant bastard. If he announced that it was him, it was more likely that Sasuke would just climb out the window, because Sasuke knew that Naruto had a key to his room. Which brought Naruto to option 3; just let himself in. it would piss Sasuke off, but Sasuke was already mad at Naruto; he didn't think it would make it any worse…probably.

Naruto went with option 3, quickly opening the door and charging into the room. He paused en route to blocking the window as he realised that Sasuke wasn't there. He checked the en suite, just to be sure, then flopped down onto the bed with a defeated sigh. Stupid Sasuke. He couldn't even sulk like a normal person.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto sat bolt upright. "Sasuke!" he exclaimed, seeing the object of his affections standing in the doorway, a guarded expression in his dark eyes.

For a moment, Naruto was sure that Sasuke would bolt. Then with a defeated sigh, Sasuke closed the door and locked it behind him.

"What will it take for you to leave without creating a scene?" He asked.

"You hearing me out," Naruto replied, "Sasuke, about the other day-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Sasuke interjected curtly, pressing his back against the door.

Naruto scowled. This was why he hated talking about things like this with Sasuke. "Well I do," he snapped. "Not talking is what got us here."

"Here being you breaking into my bedroom?" Sasuke snorted. "Please leave, Naruto. I have my life sorted; I don't need what this conversation you're so desperate to have will do to it."

"Bullshit," Naruto replied, trying to keep his anger in check. "Your life is anything but sorted; or do you think that Sakura will appreciate you getting your jollies elsewhere? Do you think she will be happy sleeping in a cold bed while you go out and fuck men?"

That hit home; Sasuke flinched before the mask was back, his black eyes twin pits. "That was the last time," he said. "You didn't have to butt in; I was going to stop, anyway. So that was the talk. You can leave now." Sasuke stepped to the side, giving Naruto access to the door.

"No. We haven't even begun to talk." Naruto said, keeping his perch on Sasuke's bed.

"I'm not listening to you anymore."

Naruto half expected Sasuke to stick his fingers in his ears and "lalala" like a little kid. Instead, he strode to the window and looked out at the expansive lawn.

"Why are you so stubborn?"

Sasuke turned to him with a wide eyed look of incredulity. "_I'm_ stubborn? What a joke coming from you."

"Sasuke, I don't want to fight with you," Naruto said, biting his lip in an effort to keep himself calm.

"Really? Then why don't you leave? I can't have you doing this to me now."

"So the problem is my timing? When will be better for you? Next week?"

"Naruto, I'm being serious."

"So am I!" Naruto sprang up from the bed, all good intentions of staying calm gone. "God, you are so unreasonable. Everything has to fit in with Sasuke's world view, or it doesn't exist. You knew it was me; you could have stopped it anytime, but you didn't."

"Naruto, I said that I didn't want to talk about it."

"Only because then you might actually have to admit that you felt something!" Naruto knew he was yelling, but he didn't care. "Or maybe the only chance I have at you is when I'm in a mask, when you pretend I'm not me. Funny, since all the other guys you've had you pretend they are me."

There was a stunned silence, as they stared at each other; Sasuke's eyes so wide that they looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.

"Go. Now. Naruto." Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.

"No. How long Sasuke? How long have you been playing this game?"

Sasuke moved so quickly that Naruto barely had time to react; he dodged enough so that the fist that was aiming for the centre of his face just grazed his cheek. He wasn't in time to stop Sasuke's forward momentum pushing them both to the floor. The air was pushed out of his lungs as Sasuke slammed into him, then he was fighting the enraged Uchiha as Sasuke grappled with him, his dark eyes alight with fury. Naruto was pretty sure he was trying to bite him, too. He somehow managed to twist Sasuke underneath him, pinning his arms by the wrists, and straddling his hips to stop him lashing out with his feet.

Sasuke glared at him, breathing heavily, and a certain part of Naruto's anatomy perked up at the sight of a flushed, panting Sasuke pinned under him.

"I'm in love with you, Sasuke," Naruto said, unable to keep the words back.

Sasuke stared up at him, his anger gone. Naruto just wished he didn't suddenly look so afraid.

"Stop," Sasuke whispered.

"No," and quite aware that he was risking being bitten Naruto lowered his head, and placed a kiss against Sasuke's mouth. He felt Sasuke's whole body stiffen under him. Naruto didn't press for more than lips, but he didn't back away, either. He waited, longing for Sasuke to give in, and kiss him back. Sasuke remained rigid under him, not fighting, but not kissing back, either. Finally, with a soft sigh of regret, Naruto raised his head. The look in Sasuke's eyes was so sorrowful that Naruto wanted to cry. He also wanted to punch him in the face for being so difficult. Things didn't have to be this way.

"I'm sorry; I should have told you sooner," Naruto said, "I couldn't bear to see you give yourself to those men, but I was scared to tell you how I felt, scared that you'd be like this."

"How long have you know?"

"A year."

Sasuke closed his eyes, a soft sound escaping his lips. "This makes no sense," he said. "What about Hinata?"

"I was using her to make you jealous."

Sasuke opened one eye, and looked at Naruto sceptically. "You are such an idiot," he said.

Sensing that the fight had gone out of Sasuke, Naruto released his wrists and moved away. Sasuke pushed himself up, so they were both sat on the floor, facing each other.

"I meant what I said before," Sasuke said finally, "it's too late. There are too many people relying on me; my parents, Sakura, Itachi. I have to be the person they need me to be."

"What about me? What about what I need?"

"Don't," Sasuke breathed out the word. "You think I've spent the last three days sulking, I suppose. Well, I haven't; I've been thinking, and no matter how much I may want it, nothing can ever happen between us."

"Something already did happen," Naruto said.

"Never again. Do you understand me, Naruto? It can't happen again."

Naruto sighed. He wasn't going to get Sasuke to budge. At least, not right away. Bulldozing his way in hadn't worked; he was going to need to be patient, something he absolutely hated doing. At least he had got something from this; he had got Sasuke to admit that he wanted it, wanted him.

"I'm not giving up," Naruto announced, getting to his feet, "I mean it Sasuke, I will make you mine."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thanks to all the people who have read, favourited or reviewed this story, it really helps to know that people are enjoying it ^^**

**Here's chapter three, let me know what you think! **

Chapter Three

Sasuke didn't know how long he had sat staring into space, his mind blank, after Naruto had left. It could have been seconds, minutes or hours. He wished that Naruto hadn't kissed him, hadn't said those words to him. He preferred it when he had been boiling with rage. Now, despair ruled him. Because, as he had told Naruto, there was no way they could be together. He was the heir and he had responsibilities, such as begetting the next line of little Uchihas. Never mind that the thought of the process made him feel nauseous; he would deal with it. He had no choice. He tried to think positively, he had learned something from the incident; at least now he knew that there was something far worse than unrequited love.

Sasuke let out a bitter laugh at that thought. He got to his feet; moping wasn't going to sort anything. He needed to find a way to dissuade Naruto of the ridiculous notion that there was a chance of working something out between them. He was not going to focus on the look in those blue eyes as he took Naruto's cock into his mouth, or the feel of that cock deep inside him. He certainly wasn't going to brood over the way Naruto's mouth had felt against his, or how close he had come to breaking, how much he had wanted to taste Naruto, to explore with his tongue. Because he knew, if Naruto pushed him hard enough, he would abandon everything. And he couldn't allow that to happen. The Uchiha name was famous, they owned shares in almost every main corporation; they practically ruled the country. He could not let the business fall out of family hands.

There was one person Sasuke could rely on, one person who would be able to give him advice. Sasuke walked the short distance to his brother's room, hoping that Itachi would be well enough to speak to him.

Itachi's door was slightly ajar. Sasuke reached out to knock and announce his presence, but something about the atmosphere in the room stopped him.

Itachi was sat in bed, hooked up to all sorts of wires, which indicated that it was not one of his good days. He wasn't alone; Neji sat beside him, his finger's tangled with Itachi's. As Sasuke watched, feeling like an intruder, but at the same time too enthralled to look away, Neji raised his hand and cupped Itachi's cheek, pulling him into a slow, tender kiss.

Sasuke backed away then, leaning against the wall for support, tears burning behind his eyes. His brother had been ill for as long as he could remember, always on the brink of dying, but always clinging on. Now Sasuke knew what for, and despite himself, he found his thoughts going to Naruto. What if Naruto was the doomed one? Sasuke knew he would want to cling to every moment with him.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's voice just about had him jumping out of his skin. He spun, and clamped a hand over her mouth, not wanting to spoil the moment between his brother and Neji. Sakura mumbled an incoherent question against his fingers.

"Itachi's sleeping," Sasuke said, removing his hand from her mouth.

Sakura's green eyes widened. "Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't realise."

"It's OK," Sasuke said, leading her away from the room, and the secret within.

Sakura clung to his arm, leaning her head against his shoulder. She was wearing sensible shoes today, he noticed with relief.

"Hey, Sasuke," she said, just when he thought that she would read his mood and give him companionable silence, "I was checking online, and Cobalt Hall has a slot open in September."

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly; Cobalt Hall was Sakura's chosen wedding venue. It was extremely popular, so much so that you needed to book it over a year in advance. That was the thing about the place that Sasuke liked; it gave him a legitimate excuse to stall the wedding. September was only three months away.

"Don't you think that's a little soon?" He said.

"Not considering we've been engaged for two years," Sakura replied.

Sasuke sometimes doubted the legitimacy of this engagement, since he couldn't remember ever asking her to marry him. Still, it was accepted by the whole family, and as such was fact.

"But we've not really planned anything," Sasuke said.

Sakura stopped, and pulled away from him. "You've not planned anything; I have my dress, shoes bridesmaids, flowers and music all sorted out."

Sasuke stared at her; she seemed genuinely upset with him. And he wondered why he was stalling; as he had said to Naruto, this was his life now. Naruto and Sakura were his two best friends. His only friends if he was honest. He had already upset Naruto, now he was doing the same to Sakura.

"Fine, book the Hall," he heard himself say, as if from a long way away.

Sakura squealed, and leaped in the air. She grabbed Sasuke's face, and kissed him, before dancing away. "I'll go and do it now," she said. "The slot won't stay open for long."

She skipped down the hall, giggling wildly, and Sasuke couldn't help but think that he had made things worse. Which was ridiculous; this was how things should be. Then he remembered the look on Neji's face as he looked at Itachi, and he found himself imagining a world with no Naruto in it. There had to be a way, where he could make everyone happy. He had succeeded with Sakura, just by giving in to her. Shame the same couldn't be true of Naruto.

It was then that the thought struck him. It was wrong, really. So very wrong, yet once it took hold it wouldn't let go. It would solve everything, though. He could give Sakura and his family what they wanted, while taking what he wanted for himself. Naruto, ironically, was the only possible obstacle, but Sasuke was pretty confident that he could deal with any moral squeamishness on Naruto's part.

A slow smile spread on Sasuke's face. He could do it; no one needed to know. After all, he was good at keeping secrets.

First step was finding the right outfit; seductive, without being obvious. Sasuke dashed back to his room, his mind buzzing. He pulled out his whole wardrobe, scattering suits, jean, t-shirts, dress shirts, casual shirts and even a hideous Hawaiian shirt that had been a joke present from Naruto a few years ago.

In the end, he decided that simple was probably best; a pair of tight black jeans that clung to his ass, and a black shirt, with the top two buttons undone, exposing his pale throat. He then carefully returned every item back to his wardrobe, before exiting out the window. He didn't want to run into Sakura, and have to explain why he was wearing one of his favourite pulling outfits.

The Namikaze Mansion was about half the size of its Uchiha counterpart, but still impressive. Kushina disliked the idea of having servants, never mind how she expected to keep the place running without them, so apart from high profile functions, all guests were expected to let themselves in and out of the back entrance. Kushina had even had a path made, leading from the driveway. Sasuke was well used to her eccentricities, so he parked his car, and made his way to the back of the house, very glad that it wasn't raining.

Sasuke let himself into the mansion, following the well worn, narrow corridor into the main hall. He checked his watch; normally, at this time of the day, Naruto would be either going over accounts with his father, or skiving off in one of the large entertainment rooms in the east wing of the house. Thinking that the universe owed him at least a little good luck, Sasuke headed towards the wing, hoping that he didn't bump into Minato or Kushina. While they were very welcoming of guests, sometimes overwhelmingly so, they didn't have the same open house policy as his own mother. They would probably escort him to Naruto, then hang around in an attempt to keep him entertained. Which really didn't fit in with his plans.

Surprisingly, his luck held; he found Naruto in the large game room and he managed to get there without any parental interference. He had expected to see Naruto playing some sort of violent game; he had planned to join him, go a few rounds destroying bad guys, and then see where things progressed from there. Instead, Naruto was curled up on the large sofa, the 60" TV was dark. Naruto appeared to be writing something, and not being very successful at it; the floor was scattered with crumpled up bits of paper. Sasuke knocked one of them with his foot, and picked it up, curious.

_Ways to get Arrogant Bastard Sasuke, _he read, _1. Wear a mask and pretend to be a stranger again,2. Tie him up. 3. Beat him with one of those giant cotton buds until he gives in._

Sasuke crumpled the paper with a snort and let it drop to the floor. "You really are an idiot," he said.

Naruto glared at him. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Sasuke shrugged, attempting nonchalance. "Is 'wait until Sasuke comes and offers himself to me' on your list?"

"Number 17. Right after pray to God daily to make it so."

Sasuke sat down next to Naruto, knocking several more crumpled balls of paper onto the floor. That was the problem with dealing with Naruto; he never acted the way he was supposed to, making it almost impossible to plan anything involving him. It didn't help that Sasuke's heart was pounding painfully, echoing in his ears, and making it hard to think.

"Listen, Naruto," Sasuke said. "Maybe I was a bit hasty earlier. You were right; there's no way that I would be able to stop…you know."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Possibly you don't want to be telling me this," he said, a low growl in his voice that went straight to Sasuke's cock.

Words were going to make things worse, Sasuke realised. Instead, he decided to act on an impulse that had been plaguing him for years. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to Naruto's. For an eternity, Naruto seemed to be frozen. Sasuke closed his eyes, begging for a response. When it came, the ferocity took him by surprise; suddenly he was on his back, Naruto on top of him, one hand up his shirt, the other locked in his hair. He opened his mouth as Naruto's tongue demanded entrance, hot and greedy and so much better than even his best fantasy. With a groan, Sasuke let go and kissed him back with everything he had, his hands gripping onto Naruto's back, never wanting to let him go.

Naruto broke the kiss, suspicion shining in his eyes. "Why?" He asked.

Sasuke stared up at him, so many answers flying through his head; _because I want you, I need you, I can't lose you. Because I…_ it was all too much, the feelings too strong, and the words wouldn't come. Something of it must have shown in his eyes, though, because Naruto allowed him to pull his head down, lips meeting again, tender at first, then with increasing passion. Sasuke arched his hips, ensuring that Naruto felt his erection; his hands pushed up the old t-shirt Naruto was wearing, exploring the other man's heated flesh.

It was as he had feared; now he had had a taste of Naruto, he couldn't stop. He hooked his leg around Naruto's hips and rolled them, trying to get a bit of control. Large as the couch was, it wasn't up to that manoeuvre, and they both ended up on the floor. Naruto let out a gasp as his back thumped onto the carpet, and Sasuke took the opportunity to remove his shirt. He lowered his head, intent on exploring Naruto with his mouth, only to find the blond in a fit of giggles.

"What?" He snapped; Naruto's giggles were infectious, but a bit of a mood killer.

Naruto reached out a hand and cupped Sasuke's cheek, his fingers brushing the longer strands of hair that hung there. "Your amazing seduction technique," he said, pulling Sasuke down for another long kiss.

Sasuke relaxed into the kiss, a groan forming at the back of his throat. He pulled away from it slowly, biting at Naruto's bottom lip, before sitting back on his heels, still straddling Naruto's hips. "You haven't seen seduction yet," he said, stripping Naruto's t-shirt off him.

He had seen Naruto naked before; they had attended the same school, and he had become an expert at sneaking a peek in the showers after PE. It was different now, though. Now he could touch Naruto, as he had longed to do for so many years. Letting out a small hum of pleasure, Sasuke ran his hands down Naruto's torso, feeling the defined muscles twitch under his fingers. Naruto watched him with lidded eyes, his breath coming in heavy pants. His hands cupped Sasuke's buttocks, before sliding up his back, tugging at him slightly, trying to pull him back down. Sasuke pinched one of Naruto's nipples, loving the gasping moan he let out, and smirked down at his best friend, his lover.

Sasuke slowly got to his feet. "Strip, and go sit on the couch," he said.

Naruto stared up at him through lust clouded eyes.

"You dissed my seduction technique," Sasuke said, quickly going over to the door to lock it, "I'm going to prove to you how hot it is." He turned to find a very naked Naruto standing in front of the couch. His breath caught at the sight; Naruto was perfect, with a sun kissed glow to his skin that emphasised his toned physique. Golden hairs trailed from his belly button, drawing Sasuke's gaze down to the hard cock that stood begging to be taken into his mouth. In that moment, Naruto could have asked anything of Sasuke, and he would have given it. Not wanting to take the risk of that, Sasuke spoke first.

"Sit down," he said, slowly approaching Naruto. Naruto remained standing until a slight pressure from Sasuke's hands on his shoulders had him dropping to the couch.

"Stay still," Sasuke continued, his voice echoing hoarse and breathy in his ears, "Don't touch yourself and don't touch me until I say." He reached into the back pocket of his jeans, and fished out a small packet of lube and a condom, which he placed on the sofa beside Naruto. Naruto's eyes followed the movement; no laughter now, just need shone in them. Good; at least things were back on track to the way Sasuke had planned this.

Sasuke trailed his hand down his own chest, feeling Naruto's eyes on him. He unbuckled his belt, pulling it out of the belt loops of his jeans and letting it drop onto the floor. The sound of the buckle thunking on the carpet was loud in the tense silence that had built between them. Sasuke quickly toed off his shoes, kicking them away, before slowly working on the button of his jeans. He took the zipper of his jeans in one hand, whilst he raised the other to his mouth, drawing one finger into his mouth with his tongue, slowly sucking on the digit. He could feel Naruto's eyes on him, almost as tangible as a caress, as he slowly pulled down the zipper. He let out a low groan as he did so; the pressure on his cock releasing slightly.

Sasuke slowly stripped the jeans off, exposing himself to Naruto. He gave his cock a few brief strokes, before leaning over to grab the lube. He could feel Naruto's breath against his chest, and almost he considered forgetting the lube and condom, and just sinking down on Naruto's dick. Sasuke bit his lip and moved away, his eyes meeting Naruto's. They both remained silent, feeling the spark crackle between them. Words would spoil it, Sasuke thought as he opened the lube, slicking up two fingers. Shooting a grin at Naruto, he turned, giving the blond a perfect view of his ass as he slipped his fingers into it.

Sasuke groaned at the feeling of being filled, the slight burning of the stretch around his rim making his cock leak. He heard a muttered moan from Naruto, and wished he could see his face as he slowly thrust his fingers in and out of his ass. Finally, when he could no longer bear the pressure building in his gut, Sasuke turned, fingers still lodged in his anus, and dropped to his knees in front of Naruto. Naruto's face was flushed, his eyes dark with lust; he looked edible, and Sasuke longed to eat him.

Grabbing the condom in his free hand, Sasuke ripped the wrapper open with his teeth, and using his tongue and lips, slid it over Naruto's throbbing cock. The taste of latex wasn't the nicest, certainly nothing compared to the taste of Naruto's flesh, but the feeling of Naruto's cock in his mouth, the hardness and heat, almost made up for it.

Sasuke removed his fingers from his ass, and his mouth from Naruto's cock. He used the remaining lube to slick up the condom, and always keeping his eyes locked with Naruto's he rose to his feet, and straddled the other man, one hand on his shoulder to steady himself, the other guiding Naruto's cock into his ass.

They both let out a long moan as they connected, Naruto's cock breaching Sasuke's rim, filling him as completely as he remembered. Only this time he was looking at Naruto; no pretending, no fantasies. This was real. Sasuke sank down, hooking one leg around Naruto's back. Naruto's arms wrapped around his back, gently caressing down his spine, and a sound that was close to a sob escaped Sasuke's lips.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed his name, his tone almost reverent.

Sasuke leaned in and kissed him, deeply, his tongue pressing into Naruto's mouth. He felt Naruto's tongue tangle with his, the scrape of Naruto's teeth against his lips.

_I love you; _he thought as they kissed, _I love you so much_. He put the feeling into the kiss, hooking his fingers in Naruto's hair, pulling his head close. He felt that he could come just from this, kissing, with Naruto's cock buried deep in his body, no need to move, no need to touch the painfully hard cock that was wedged between their stomachs.

Finally, though, Naruto pulled away from the kiss. "Sasuke, if you don't move, I'm going to die."

Sasuke grinned at him; "That's seduction," he murmured, licking his way down Naruto's throat as he slowly began to ride Naruto's cock.

It was better than good; it was better than amazing, each thrust stroked against his prostate, and dragged his cock against Naruto's stomach. Sasuke tipped his head back and groaned, feeling Naruto's mouth on his chest, his hands all over his back. He moved slowly, intentionally teasing Naruto with the slow fuck, knowing that if he wanted, Naruto could take over, and pound him into oblivion. Part of Sasuke wanted it, desperately, but another part didn't want it to end, wanted to feel Naruto inside him, holding him, forever.

Naruto's hands cupped the back of his head, and pulled him forward so their foreheads were practically touching. Sasuke was doomed, he knew, as he gazed into Naruto's deep blue eyes. It was terrifying to realise how much power Naruto had over him; he would be fine, as long as Naruto never found out. And then they were kissing again, and all coherent thought left Sasuke. His heart pounded heavy in his ears, and heat pooled in his belly, spreading to his cock and balls. Each stroke of Naruto's tongue against his intensified it, each thrust against his prostate, each rub against his cock.

He felt Naruto tense, then his hips arched, driving him deeper inside Sasuke. He let out a gasp of Naruto's name against his lover's lips as he came, feeling Naruto fill the condom inside him. Sasuke clung to Naruto, a sweaty mess. He could feel Naruto's heart pound against his, his heavy breathing in his ear as he laid his head limply on Naruto's shoulder.

He let out a sound of protest as Naruto lifted him from his cock, and settled him on the couch beside him. After a bit of shifting, Sasuke found himself leaning back against Naruto's chest, encircled by his legs, while Naruto used the arm as a backrest. Now the post sex glow was beginning to fade, Sasuke started to notice how scratchy the fabric of the sofa was against his bare ass. It was probably made out of some organic crap from a third world country knowing Kushina. His own spunk drying on his chest wasn't the nicest feeling, either. Then Naruto wrapped his arms around him, and Sasuke supposed that he could live with it, at least for a little while.

"Sasuke," Naruto said finally, breaking the silence as Sasuke knew he would.

Sasuke let out a grunt in response, hoping that the conversation would go the way he wanted it to.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what the hell just happened?"

"We had sex," Sasuke replied, hoping that he hadn't fucked Naruto stupid. Although that could possibly work for him.

"Yes, I realise that. What I mean is, a few hours ago, it was never going to happen, and then suddenly, here you are. What changed?"

It was easier when Naruto wasn't looking at him, Sasuke thought as he settled back against Naruto's broad chest, loving the feeling of skin on skin. "My brother," he said finally.

He felt Naruto shift behind him, so he settled back further, pinning him with his body. Naruto gave up moving with a small sigh. "You spoke to Itachi?"

Sasuke linked their fingers together, staring at the contrast in their hands; Naruto's fingers were thicker, his skin a few shades darker. His nails were chipped, and he had been picking at a cuticle, there was a raw patch of new skin, and a tiny scab. Sasuke's fingers were long and slim, his nails manicured. So different, yet they went together so well.

"Sasuke?" Naruto prompted.

Sasuke raised his gaze from their hands. "I didn't speak to him," he said, "he was busy. Did you know that he and Neji are lovers?"

Naruto let out a low whistle of breath. "No; I didn't even think that Itachi could…"

Sasuke scrunched up his nose. "I really don't want to think of that," he said. "I saw them."

"Fucking?"

"Kissing," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And I just thought how sad it would be to know that the person you loved was living on borrowed time."

"And that made you want sex?"

"It made me want you. I can't abandon my responsibilities. I have to be the heir, and marry Sakura, and all the rest. But I can't abandon you, either. Do you understand me?"

Naruto was silent for a long while. Sasuke could feel him tense up, and half expected to be thrown to the floor.

"You want me to be your fuck toy?" Naruto said finally, his voice soft.

"No, I didn't mean it like that, I meant that…" Sasuke trailed off; unfortunately, crass choice of wording aside, Naruto was pretty accurate.

"No," Naruto said, "I will not be your dirty little secret; I will not be the one you go to once you've tucked your perfect little Uchiha children into their beds. I won't sit around waiting for you while you go to different high profile events with your pretty wife on your arm." His fingers tightened on Sasuke's "I want you, all of you. And I refuse to live a lie."

Sasuke closed his eyes, the pain constricting his heart. "Don't you think I want that too?" He said. "But I can't; this is the only way."

"Bollocks. This isn't the middle ages anymore. We can be together, and you can still have kids; we could adopt, or have a surrogate. It's not as hard as you're making it sound."

Sasuke struggled, trying to break Naruto's embrace, suddenly needing space, but Naruto only held him tighter, pressing his forehead against Sasuke's back.

"My father sacked my mother's wardrobe assistant for being gay," Sasuke said.

Naruto snorted, "he should have sued for unfair dismissal. Besides, the guy was a wardrobe assistant, I don't think they come in straight."

Sasuke ground his teeth. Naruto's relaxed upbringing had warped him. "Don't you get it? Nobody sues Fugaku Uchiha. Nobody crosses him. He is intolerant, and prejudiced. If he knew I was gay, he would make my life hell. He wouldn't disown me, because I'm his only heir, but he would make sure that we never saw each other again."

"Like I'd let that control freak keep me from you," Naruto said. "Anyway, my parents would help us, and your mum."

"I think that my mother has her heart set on a white wedding. I don't want to disappoint her, either."

Naruto let out a breath of nervous laughter. "Funny story," he said, "my mum kind of figured everything out, and told your mum. She's cool with it."

Sasuke managed to turn in Naruto's arms and face him. He glared into Naruto's eyes, trying to ignore how good their bare chests felt, pressed together. "Cool with it?" He hissed. "Naruto, what she thinks, what I think, none of that matters to my father. All it can do is get her in trouble. And what if he decides to turn on your father? He could ruin him."

"I can't believe you're this scared of your father." There was contempt in Naruto's voice, but he had his arms wrapped tightly around Sasuke, keeping him from storming off.

"I'm not scared of him; I just want him to be proud of me. Which will not happen if I introduce you as my potential bride."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Look," Sasuke snapped, "You said that you wouldn't give up, that you wanted me. This is the only way it can be, take it or leave it."

Naruto stared at him for a long moment, his eyes inscrutable. Sasuke found that he couldn't breathe as the silence stretched. If Naruto said that he wouldn't accept the compromise Sasuke would shatter; he couldn't be without Naruto.

"I'll take it," Naruto said finally.

Sasuke felt light headed with the relief that thrummed through him. He drew Naruto into a kiss, letting out a sigh as Naruto kissed him back. He knew that Naruto wasn't happy with the situation, but he had to agree that it was better than nothing.

A knock on the door had them springing apart and scrambling for their clothes.

"Naruto?" Kushina's voice called out, "Why is the door locked?"

"I didn't realise it was, just a second, mum." Naruto pulled his t-shirt over his head, and started towards the door.

Sasuke grabbed his arm. "She's going to guess what we've been doing," he hissed, "can't you get her to go away?"

Naruto stared at him, "She's going to figure it out, anyway," he said. He shook Sasuke's hand off, and grabbed the door handle.

Sasuke ran his hands through his hair, wishing that Naruto had a shower in his game room.

"Mikoto has asked us for dinner, so just make sure you're ready," Kushina called through the door.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief as he heard her footsteps retreating down the corridor.

Naruto frowned. "Tuesday night dinner? I wonder what the occasion is."

Sasuke shrugged, his mind was too full of Naruto to think over what snippet of gossip might have his mother in a tizzy. "Are you bringing Hinata?" He asked.

Naruto stared at him as if he had grown an extra head. "Wouldn't that be a bit weird?" He asked.

"It would be weirder not to bring her," Sasuke replied. "Remember, no one else should know. Even if you have a perverse desire to go into the intricacies of your sex life with your mother, I don't."

Briefly, Naruto looked like he was contemplating violence. The look passed, and he poked his tongue out at Sasuke. Sasuke couldn't resist; he took the tongue into his mouth, kissing Naruto one last time.

"I have to go shower," he said, "I'll see you at dinner tonight." _I love you._ The words burned on his tongue, but his lips wouldn't move to release them. Naruto knew, anyway. He was sure he knew.

Sasuke drove home, the taste of Naruto in his mouth, the slight sting when he moved a reminder of the feel of him in his ass. He wished that it didn't feel like he had forgotten something important.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter was a pain to write; I really wanted it ready last weekend, but it still needed work. I'm currently aiming to update at least a chapter a week. Next weekend is very busy for me, but I'm going to try and get as much done as possible. I would love to have chapter five ready by Sunday/Monday...but we shall see.**

**Thanks go to everyone who has read, reviewed and favourited. Particuarly to the reviewers, it's always nice to know what people think of my work, and what I'm doing with/to the characters. So far my Naruto Chapter has more feedback than the two Sasuke ones, so I have high hopes for this one :D...it's ironic, because Sasuke is easier to write.**

**Disclaimer's still apply :)**

Chapter Four

The first thing Naruto did once Sasuke left was to kick the couch. The second was to release a bubble of laughter. It was the strangest feeling, to be so pissed off, yet euphoric at the same time. He'd had the best sex ever, with the person who had been the object of his fantasies since he discovered that his cock had more uses than just pissing. Yet, at the same time, he knew that the arrogant prick was leading him around by the dick, and he was too lust blind, or love blind, to stop him.

Still, Sasuke was crazy if he thought that Naruto would accept his bullshit reasoning for them not to be together, properly. This whole arrangement that Sasuke had thought up was fine for a temporary basis, but Naruto was going to have Sasuke all to himself, permanently. As soon as he figured out how. He supposed that he had time; for all of Sasuke's talk about settling down with Sakura and being the heir, he had been engaged to her for two years without even setting the date for the wedding.

Humming to himself, Naruto tidied up the mess, scrunching up the very used condom with the scrappy pieces of paper that were now redundant. It wasn't about getting Sasuke anymore, it was about keeping him.

He showered and dressed in one of his stifling dinner party suits before he remembered to call Hinata. He supposed that he would have to sit her down and explain how he couldn't help her anymore. No way was he going to make things easier for Sasuke by hiding behind Hinata the way Sasuke was with Sakura.

Hinata picked up on the third ring; "Naruto?" she said, her voice breathy.

"Hi, Hinata," Naruto said. It was awkward; he didn't want to break up with her over the phone, even though they weren't really dating. But he didn't want to lead her along, either. "So, uh…Mikoto Uchiha is having another one of her dinners," he said, feeling like a complete ass.

"I know, I'm already there; Neji needed me to bring some things over, and Mrs Uchiha asked me to stay. Are you coming?"

"Yeah."

There was an uncomfortable pause, as Naruto desperately searched for something to say.

"Bye, Naruto."

"Bye."

Naruto hung up with a soft groan. Hinata was relying on him to keep her safe. HHe would have to tell her about Sasuke, but maybe he would wait until she found another fake boyfriend before fake breaking up with her.

He hurried downstairs to see if he could catch a lift with his mum, and almost bumped into Minato. He was wearing a suit, something he never did unless he was attending some sort of function. Minato was the founder and owner of the popular tea room franchise, _Hokage_, and he tended to dress down when he was visiting the shops or working from home.

"Dad, you're coming tonight?" Naruto asked.

Minato smiled at him. "Well, since you managed to disappear this afternoon, I am behind on the accounts, and a few of the shops do need reviewing, but your mother asked me along. She said that she and Mikoto wanted my advice for the charity ball they're holding in a few weeks. Personally I think Fugaku has some special announcement, and I'm mainly going because being there will irritate him."

There was no love lost between Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze. The Uchiha patriarch disliked the fact that Minato had built his business up from scratch, and wasn't the member of a blooded family going back generations. Minato mainly thought that Fugaku was a pretentious asshole.

Naruto wondered if Kushina had told Minato about him and Sasuke; his dad was pretty laid back and liberal. He quite likely would find the idea of Naruto running off with Fugaku Uchiha's son hilarious. Naruto hoped so, anyway. Sasuke was enough of an obstacle, without anyone else getting involved.

"There are my two favourite boys," Kushina sang, making her way down the stairs. "Naruto, did I see Sasuke's car here earlier?" her leer was not in keeping with the elegant dress that she was wearing.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, "he was here." He hoped that she would be content with that, and not ask any more questions. It was bad enough telling her about it; with his dad there as well he would likely die from embarrassment.

"Well, Mikoto said that Fugaku was all excited about something," Kushina said.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief at his mother's change of subject.

Minato laughed. "Excited? He probably just cracked a smile. I would more likely say that was wind than excitement."

Kushina sniggered.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The butler wasn't anywhere near as snooty as he took their coats, and ushered them into the dining room. Hinata ran up to Naruto, and laid a hand on his arm. He patted her hand absently, his eyes fixed on Sasuke. He had changed out of the come fuck me outfit he had been wearing earlier, but he still looked edible in the tailored shirt and tie. He was already sat at the table, ignoring Sakura who was sat beside him, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto.

Naruto forced a smile out as he led Hinata to the dinner table and sat opposite Sasuke. The look in Sasuke's eyes made him want to strip the Uchiha heir, and have his way with him over the soup course.

"Hi Naruto, Hinata," Sakura bubbled; she was practically bouncing in her chair.

Naruto shot Sasuke a questioning look. He shrugged, and took a sip of his water.

"Hi, Sakura," Hinata said quietly.

Fugaku was the last one to arrive at the table. He didn't look particularly excited; he looked as moody as always. No wonder Sasuke was repressed, living with a father like that. Both Neji and Itachi were absent; obviously Itachi wasn't feeling well enough. Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes flick towards Itachi's empty seat, and he longed to kiss the sadness that formed in his eyes away. He settled for kicking off one of his shoes, and running his bare foot up Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke jumped so high he practically launched into orbit.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, flicking a glance at an oblivious Sakura.

Naruto shrugged, and walked his toes further up Sasuke's leg. It was a risk; he could have accidentally got Sakura. That would have been interesting to explain away; _I'm so sorry, I was aiming for your fiancé._ Naruto suppressed a snort of laughter.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and reached under the table, caressing his way up Naruto's ankle before pushing his leg away. Naruto waited a full minute, before attacking Sasuke's leg with his foot again.

"Is Itachi coming down?" Sakura asked loudly as the maids quietly laid out the first course. Sasuke pushed Naruto's foot away again, more forcefully this time, and Naruto slipped his shoe back on.

"He's not well enough," Mikoto said, fingering her napkin. Kushina placed her hand on her friend's, stilling her fretting, and Mikoto shot her a smile.

"OK, well, I suppose he'll hear, anyway," Sakura said, getting to her feet and grabbing Sasuke's arm, dragging him up with her. "Sasuke and I have an announcement to make," Sakura beamed.

Naruto's eyes were still fixed on Sasuke, so he saw as irritation flicked to confusion, to sudden horrified realisation in his eyes.

"We've finally set a date for our wedding; September 16th"

Naruto would have been impressed at how Sasuke kept his face a mask, his emotions only showing in his eyes, except Naruto was too angry with him. He could feel Hinata's eyes on him, a comforting hand placed tentatively on his leg. He couldn't see anyone else's reaction; his eyes were locked on Sasuke. He looked like he might vomit, as he managed a tremulous smile. _Good, _Naruto thought, _I hope he spews all over Sakura's pretty new dress_.

Sakura clung onto Sasuke, not noticing that her fiancé seemed less than thrilled as she babbled on; "Hinata, you must be one of my bridesmaids, I'm sure Naruto will be the best man, and you know what they say about best men and bridesmaids." She giggled.

Hinata stammered out something that Sakura took to be assent, because she grabbed Hinata's hands over the table, and proceeded to bombard her with her ideas for the colour scheme. Sasuke, released from her grip when she accosted Hinata, shied away as if scorched.

"I'm going to go and tell Itachi," Sasuke said, backing away from the table.

"I'll help you," Naruto said, fixing his best fake smile in place.

Sasuke practically bolted out of the dining room; Naruto didn't know where he was going, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't to tell Itachi. He caught up with Sasuke outside one of the guest rooms, and grabbing his arm dragged him inside, slamming the door behind them. He pinned Sasuke up against the door, and glared at him.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded.

"I told you that I was still going to marry Sakura," Sasuke said, but his voice was hoarse.

"And you didn't think to tell me that it was happening in three months time? Why, Sasuke? Why now when you've been happy to hold it off for the last two years?"

"Sakura wanted the date, I just agreed with her."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, seething inside. "And when did you just agree with her? Before or after fucking me? Didn't it even occur to you to tell me, instead of letting Sakura announce it to the whole room first?" He snarled

"Before. I forgot about it; I was a bit distracted this afternoon."

Naruto stared into Sasuke's dark eyes, searching for a trace of emotion. Sasuke turned his head away, breaking eye contact. His voice had sounded flat, defeated.

"You weren't even going to give us a chance, were you?" Naruto said finally. "You are such a coward."

Sasuke pushed him away, sudden anger snapping in his eyes. "I told you how things were going to be; you agreed. I don't think that setting a date for a wedding that was inevitable makes anything different."

"Yes, you told me; you didn't ask my opinion, just told me how it was going to be. Because it's always on your terms, isn't it? Always what Sasuke wants, never mind anyone else."

"I don't want things to be like this, Naruto. I don't want to have to marry Sakura, I don't want to have to raise her children to be good little Uchiha clones, but I don't have a choice."

Naruto felt like punching Sasuke in the gut; the man was so frustrating.

"Yes you do," he said, "give it all up, leave with me. We can come back in a few months, you can live at my place; your father will forgive you eventually."

Naruto bit his lip at the expression in Sasuke's eyes; it was longing. Sasuke wanted it as much as he did. If only he would just agree, run away with him. His heart sank as Sasuke lowered his eyes, and shook his head slowly.

"It's a nice dream, Naruto, but I can't do that to you. My father could ruin your whole family. And if I disgraced him in that way, he would do it."

"I don't care," Naruto said, gripping Sasuke's hand in his. "As long as I have you, I don't care."

Sasuke raised his head, and stared into Naruto's eyes. It wasn't fair, that Sasuke could turn Naruto into his willing slave with just one look. He could feel those dark eyes dragging him in, like a siren's song, compelling him to do whatever Sasuke wanted. And half hating himself, Naruto let Sasuke rule him. He didn't push, as much as he wanted to; as much as he wanted to yell out his frustration, and argue Sasuke into agreeing with him, he bit his tongue. It was for the best, he figured. He would just have to go slowly, and wait for Sasuke to realise that he was right. He raised his hand to Sasuke's cheek, and pulled him into a soft kiss. Sasuke practically collapsed into his embrace, twining his fingers in Naruto's hair. The taste of him was like a drug; addictive and compelling, and Naruto was a lost cause, totally hooked.

"We can't be gone too long," Sasuke said softly pulling away from the kiss. His cheeks were flushed, bright spots of red against his pale flesh. Naruto wanted to lick at the flush, to taste more of Sasuke. He wanted to bite and suck his way down his delicate throat, to take Sasuke's cock into his mouth, and feast on him. Desire practically choked him, and his cock began to stiffen in anticipation.

"I know." He said," Leave your window open tonight."

Sasuke stared at him for a long moment before nodding. He was probably wondering why Naruto wasn't still arguing and trying to convince him.

Naruto was wondering the same thing, himself. But he knew, deep down, that if he pushed and fought over this now, it would lead to him giving Sasuke an ultimatum. And he did not want to hand Sasuke over to Sakura in that way. Sasuke was his; he just had to make Sasuke see it.

Naruto kissed Sasuke again, feeling more than hearing the slight whimper that Sasuke let out. He backed away with a soft sigh.

"I suppose that we should go tell Itachi your news," he said, running a finger down Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke sighed, but nodded, opening the door behind him and stepping away from Naruto. As Naruto followed Sasuke to Itachi's room, he thought he could hear a clock ticking in his head, an inevitable countdown to doomsday. He wondered if Neji ever felt the same, watching his lover slowly die.

Poor Itachi. Naruto watched as the older Uchiha faked a smile, when he was clearly in pain, watched as Neji shook Sasuke's hand, failing to hide the worry that had been naked in his eyes as they entered the room. Naruto knew then that his countdown wasn't anywhere near as bad as theirs. He wondered what he would do if it came down to choosing between sharing Sasuke, or losing him completely. He thought that if he was forced to make the choice, he would have half of Sasuke, rather than no Sasuke at all. The thought of sharing Sasuke practically choked him, though.

Dinner seemed to be turning into an awkward affair. They got back from telling Itachi to find everyone still on the main course. Minato had moved to sit next to Fugaku, and was animatedly telling a story that was supposed to be funny judging by the snickers around him. Fugaku listened stone faced.

"Does your dad ever laugh?" Naruto muttered to Sasuke.

"Not really," Sasuke replied, taking his place next to Sakura, who immediately latched onto him like some sort of weird pink limpet. Hinata looked relieved to have Sakura's interest turned away from her.

Naruto tried to ignore the way that Sakura fawned over Sasuke. She had never been like this before, and he dreaded to think what she would be like if they did actually marry. One small consolation was that Sasuke seemed to be even more pissed at her antics than Naruto was. It was still pretty unbearable to watch, and Naruto decided that he was definitely, absolutely not going to share Sasuke. He would have the whole heart, body and soul thing. He just needed to figure out the perfect plan. He wished that he had pen and paper; writing stuff down helped him to think.

After dinner, they retired to the back lounge. Fugaku settled in a corner, surrounded by various cousins. Sasuke was well and truly Sakura'd. It was like she was trying to make up for years of as little touching as possible. Kushina and Mikoto had grabbed Hinata, and the three of them were huddled together, occasionally shooting looks at him or Sasuke. He dreaded to think what they were up to.

Naruto was aware of his dad sat next to him, attempting to hold a conversation, but he didn't really hear him. Despite himself, he found his eyes drawn to Sasuke. Sakura had managed to settle herself on his knee; by the look on Sasuke's face, any one would think that a rabid panther with a bad case of halitosis had settled on his lap, and not a pretty, petite girl. Naruto would have found it funny if he wasn't so pissed off at her being all over his man. One thing was clear, Sasuke was delusional to think that he would be able to go through with the whole het sex thing if he had this bad a reaction to a girl sitting on his lap. Hopefully Naruto could make him see that before the actual wedding night. Again, the mental image would be hilarious, if it wasn't his lover involved.

"I'm going to take Hinata home," Mikoto's voice cut over the low chatter in the room.

"Neji's staying with Itachi tonight," Hinata said, as if trying to justify Mikoto's offer.

"We're off, too," Kushina said, grabbing Naruto and Minato, and letting out a very fake yawn.

Sasuke shot Naruto a help me look, which he ignored. As much as he wanted to dump Sakura on the floor and settle himself down on Sasuke's knee, he figured that it would probably make things worse.

"If we're going now, we could just drop Hinata off," Naruto said. He was cut off by his mum stamping on his foot.

"Shut up," she hissed through gritted teeth.

Naruto gave up. She was definitely planning something. This was exactly why he had kept quiet about his sexuality. She was probably going to drag them all to a gay bar.

"Remember what I said, Sasuke," he said as they left. He was sure he saw a slight flush on his lover's pale cheeks.

Naruto wasn't surprised when Mikoto and Hinata followed them back. His father looked like he wanted to say something, then he just sighed, and wandered up the stairs. Naruto made to follow him; he was planning to hide out in his room for a bit, before sneaking back out to meet up with Sasuke. Kushina grabbed his arm, and dragged him into the dining room, followed by Mikoto and Hinata. It was an impressive room, if you hadn't seen the Uchiha's dining room, which was easily twice the size. He sat down at the table, while the women sat opposite him, all staring as if he was some sort of insect they were planning to dissect. It was creepy.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. I didn't realise that they had set a date," Mikoto said.

"I don't get it," Kushina said. She sounded aggrieved, as if Sasuke and Sakura's impending wedding was a personal insult to her. "I know what you two were doing earlier; I thought that maybe it would all work out."

Naruto tried to forget that he had heard that. He gave a small shrug, wondering how quickly he could get them off his case.

"It's OK, though; we have a plan" Kushina said. She had that look in her eyes, the look she got before living up a tree for a month, or jetting off to the middle of nowhere to feed baby tigers. Naruto had thought it was pretty cool all those other times. Now the look was trained on him, all he felt was dread.

"You really don't have to help out," Naruto said hurriedly, "I mean, I'm grateful, but I think I'll be able to get through to Sasuke, I just need to make him see what a mistake he's making."

"Yes, and this is what our plan will do," Kushina replied. "Just hear us out."

"Fine," Naruto sighed.

Kushina shot him her biggest grin. Both Mikoto and Hinata also smiled at him. Very creepy.

"So," Kushina began, "Mikoto and I are holding a charity ball in two weeks time. And part of it will be an auction, where we auction off guys. You know, where the highest bidder gets a date."

"I really don't think Sasuke would be impressed if I bid on him." Naruto said wryly.

"You're not doing the bidding, Hinata is. I was going to, but Mikoto said it would be weird."

"And Hinata bidding on Sasuke isn't? Besides, Sakura will want that date for herself." Naruto got to his feet. "Look, I appreciate your help, but I really don't think it's going to work."

Kushina reached over the table and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down. Naruto stifled a yelp as she practically pulled his arm out of its socket.

"That's because I hadn't finished," she said, smiling smugly as Naruto rubbed his shoulder. "This auction is going to be different," she continued. "The girls will be bidding for two guys randomly," here she used air quotes, "paired up. You and Sasuke will be a pair, which explains Hinata bidding on you,"

"And makes you bidding really, really weird," Naruto replied. "Still doesn't mean that Sakura won't try to out bid Hinata. And I will commit murder if I have to go on a date with Sasuke and Sakura."

"We'll make sure that Hinata wins," Kushina replied.

"I can't believe that you're going to fix a charity auction."

"We're not," Mikoto spoke for the first time, he voice soft. "Kushina and I will pay for Hinata's bids. And when it comes to the date, Hinata will have to go early, leaving you and Sasuke on your own."

"Thus proving to Sasuke that being in a relationship with another man is widely accepted in today's society," Kushina said smugly.

"It is a very convoluted plan, with lots of places where it could go wrong, but I really think that it's worth trying," Hinata added.

If nothing else, Naruto supposed that he was saved from having to explain the situation to her. Surprisingly, Hinata seemed to be pretty OK with the dissolution of their fake relationship. He wondered what his mum had said to her, and decided that it was probably best that he didn't know.

"OK," Naruto said, "I'm in," he grinned. A proper date with Sasuke, even one as contrived as this one would be fun. Maybe his mum had the right idea; he just needed to show Sasuke that being with Naruto suited him better than being with Sakura. Judging by his reactions to Sakura tonight, it wouldn't be too hard.

Naruto leaped to his feet with a cry as he had a sudden eureka moment. "Mum, you're amazing!" he said, bouncing around the table to kiss her.

"I know," she agreed, beaming happily.

"I…I don't get it," Hinata said, looking worried.

Naruto grinned at her. "All I need to do is show Sasuke that me and him work," he said. "And Sakura is going to help me, by showing him how incompatible they are." There was still Sasuke's daddy issues, but Naruto figured he would take it one step at a time. The first thing to do was to get rid of Sakura, and get Sasuke out of the closet. The rest would probably just fall into place, anyway.

"We could help," Kushina put in, "maybe encourage Sakura to do things that will piss Sasuke off." Her grin was positively evil. "No one gets in the way of my baby's happiness."

"I'll help, too," Hinata said in her soft voice.

Naruto turned to her. "You do know that I won't be able to protect you from your father's matchmaking anymore," he said.

Hinata smiled. "I know that," she replied. "I don't mind, I just want you to be happy."

Impulsively, Naruto hugged her. She stiffened in his arms, before hugging him back very briefly.

"Thanks, Hinata," he said. He glanced at his watch as she backed away, and wondered if it was too soon to go and visit Sasuke.

"Why don't you come with us, Naruto," Mikoto said.

Naruto stared at her blankly.

"You're going to see Sasuke, aren't you? If you want, I'll get the chauffer to swing by to pick you up after we've dropped Hinata off. It saves you having to hide your car." She smiled sweetly, as if she was arranging some sort of innocent venture like a picnic. It was a bit weird, Naruto thought, that she was actually helping her son meet clandestinely with his gay lover.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Naruto showered and changed out of the stuffy suit and into his preferred jeans and t-shirt. He was waiting anxiously outside the house when Mikoto came back from dropping off Hinata. Kushina and Minato drove their own cars, as did Naruto; the Uchiha had not one but three chauffer's. Naruto supposed that one was handy for getting Itachi to hospital appointments, but he couldn't understand why they would ever need three. Sasuke mainly drove himself, but Mikoto and Fugaku nearly always used the drivers.

Naruto slipped into the back seat next to Mikoto, and eyed the driver nervously.

"He won't say anything, will he?" He whispered.

"He can't hear us," Mikoto replied, tapping on the glass screen that separated the front of the car from the back. "Besides, I'm the one who pays his wages, not Fugaku. He won't gossip."

Naruto fidgeted, glancing out of the window at the dark countryside rushing by. It was past ten, and the summer sun had vanished, leaving everything shadowed and indistinct. He shivered, and turned to Mikoto.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked impulsively.

She smiled, but her eyes were shadowed. "I want my son to be happy," she replied. "I know the pain of loving someone you can never be with; having to marry someone you don't love for family duty. I don't want him to have to suffer that."

Naruto stared at her, wondering why she would trust him with this; while anyone with eyes could see that her marriage to Fugaku was not a love match, he had never even considered that his mother's quiet best friend was hiding the pain of unrequited love.

"Your situation is different from mine," Mikoto continued. "You love Sasuke in the same way that he loves you. I could only ever have friendship, so I took that. You can have so much more."

Naruto found himself wondering who she was in love with. As far as he was aware, she didn't have many friends, just family, and his mother…

"My mother?" He found his voice was shriller than normal. "You're in love with my mum? Does she know?"

Mikoto shook her head. "No. It would only pain her to know. She is deeply in love with her husband, and he with her. I am content to be her best friend."

"I can't do that." Naruto replied.

"And that is why I'm helping you."

The rest of the drive passed in silence. Naruto couldn't find any words to say, and Mikoto seemed content with that. He didn't know how she managed it. The years he had secretly been in love with Sasuke had been nothing but pain. He wondered if she went out to pick up women to ease the ache, then realised who it was he was thinking about. He suppressed a small shudder, and tried to fill his mind with thoughts of Sasuke.

Mikoto dropped him off at the bottom of the long drive way leading to the house, just in case. Naruto crossed the lawn quickly, going as far as the ornamental fountain where he and Sasuke had played as children, before turning towards the house, and Sasuke.

The light was on in Sasuke's room, and he was stood by the open window, gazing up at the starlit sky. Naruto paused, taken by the sight. Sasuke was topless, the soft glow from the moon and stars illuminating his pale skin. His dark eyes were shadowed, and seemed to be fixed on some distant view. Naruto grinned to himself, and stepped into the hazy light cast from Sasuke's room onto the lawn.

"What light from yonder window shines," he quoted.

Sasuke glanced down at him, and let out a snort of almost laughter. "I'm surprised; I was sure you slept through Shakespeare in school."

Naruto grinned up at him. "I was awake for some of it," he said. "Like I know Romeo and Juliette got together, even though her father was trying to make her marry someone else."

"_I_ remember that they ended up dying in the end," Sasuke replied.

"Yup, don't you think its super romantic that they couldn't live without each other?"

"I think it was super stupid," Sasuke replied, stepping back so Naruto could climb the terrace up to his window. "I mean, I get that Romeo never got Juliette's letter, and so he thought she was really dead, but killing himself? He could have at least avenged her first."

"I never really got the whole suicide bit; I think I may have been asleep for that one." Naruto said, climbing over the windowsill and into Sasuke's room. "Didn't Juliette drown herself on a bed of flowers?"

"That was Ophelia in Hamlet."

Naruto shrugged, he didn't really care about suicidal girls from old plays. He grabbed Sasuke and kissed him, hard and deep until he slumped in Naruto's arms, boneless and malleable. Naruto walked them over to Sasuke's bed, their lips still locked together. He could feel Sasuke's erection against his thigh, and he felt himself harden as anticipation thrummed through him.

Naruto dropped them both on the bed, allowing Sasuke to roll on top of him. He grasped Sasuke's buttocks and pulled him closer, feeling Sasuke's hard cock press against his own. Sasuke let out a small whimper, grinding their hips together. Naruto moaned, and rolled them, pinning Sasuke under him. He broke the kiss to raise his head enough to stare into Sasuke's dark eyes. He reached one hand down the pyjama bottoms that Sasuke was wearing, wrapping his hand around Sasuke's hard dick. He stroked it slowly, loving the way that Sasuke gasped and writhed under him. He lowered his head, and kissed his way down Sasuke's throat, nipping at his collarbone with his teeth.

Sasuke's hands pulled at his t-shirt, trying to get it off. Grinning, Naruto sat up, and pulled the t-shirt off before Sasuke ripped it off him. Sasuke wiggled his way out of his pyjama bottoms, and started to work on Naruto's jeans.

"Why the rush?" Naruto snickered as he batted Sasuke's hands away, and stripped off his jeans.

"Because I need you in me, now," Sasuke replied, his voice husky. He grabbed Naruto's hand, and guided it to his hole. Naruto groaned as his fingers brushed the slick entrance; Sasuke had been busy while he was waiting for him. Unable to resist, Naruto slipped a finger in. it slid in easily, and Sasuke arched his back with a groan as Naruto pressed against his prostate.

Sasuke moved slowly, fucking himself on Naruto's finger, his eyes hazy with desire. Naruto bit his lip; his cock ached to be inside Sasuke, feeling his tight heat surrounding him.

Sasuke reached up a hand and cupped Naruto's cheek; his lips were slightly parted, his cheeks flushed. Naruto almost came as Sasuke said; "I want you, Naruto. I want you to fuck me, hard and fast. I want to feel you in me all day tomorrow."

"Fuck," Naruto groaned, pulling his finger out of Sasuke's ass. He grabbed Sasuke's legs, and raised them so his knees rested on Naruto's shoulders. His cock, aching and leaking pre-come was lined up with Sasuke's hole. Just as he was about to plunge himself deep inside his lover, Sasuke raised a hand, placing it on Naruto's chest.

"Wait," he said, "condom."

That pissed Naruto off. He let Sasuke's legs drop. "Why?" He snapped, "do you have something to hide?"

"I'm clean," Sasuke said, "and I'm not fucking about with anyone else, but-"

"You really honestly think I might?" Naruto snapped. "I'm clean too, by the way. Thanks so much for asking. Do you really think I would ever do anything to risk your life?"

"No. I just…I don't want to think of you being with anyone else. That's why I didn't ask. If I didn't ask, didn't know, then maybe…maybe it could be like it never happened." Sasuke turned his head to one side, refusing to meet Naruto's eyes. At the very least he had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Well, the thought of you with anyone else bothers me, too." Naruto said. He was still angry; Sasuke had the amazing ability to make even the simplest thing hard. "I'm not going to lie to you, Sasuke. I've fucked a lot of other men, but none of them matter, I never loved any of them the way I love you."

Sasuke turned to face him, his eyes wide. "Naruto, I…" he grabbed Naruto by the back of the head, his fingers tangling in Naruto's hair, and pulled him down into a kiss. The kiss was fierce; teeth and tongues more than lips. Sasuke's fingers tugged at Naruto's hair; Naruto held Sasuke by the shoulders, in a grip he knew was probably bruising Sasuke's pale skin. He didn't care; need, lust, love, hate all roiled in his gut, threatening to tear him apart. Only Sasuke did this to him; infuriating, beautiful, arrogant, strong, stubborn Sasuke.

Sasuke twisted, and arched his back, and suddenly, Naruto could feel the puckered flesh of his hole against the head of his cock.

"Fuck me," Sasuke whispered, pushing against Naruto's cock.

Naruto felt his tenuous grip on control slip, like a climber clinging to a rock face that was crumbling under his fingers. With a low moan, he gave in, let go, and was falling. He sheathed himself in Sasuke's body with one long, deep stroke that had Sasuke crying out. Whether it was in pleasure or pain Naruto didn't know; he didn't care anymore. All he knew was the heat encasing his cock, warm, tight, slick, perfect. He began thrusting, harsh and deep, taking all of Sasuke for himself, owning him, claiming him.

Sasuke's legs wrapped around Naruto's hips, urging him deeper, one hand remained tangled in Naruto's hair, the other slid between his legs, grasping his cock.

"Harder, Naruto." Sasuke gasped out, stroking his cock in time with Naruto's thrusts. "Want to feel you, always."

Naruto was powerless to resist or refuse Sasuke. The room echoed with the harsh sounds of their flesh slapping together, their grunts, cries and moans. Neither of them was trying to be quiet, and Naruto was glad that the rooms to either side of Sasuke's were unoccupied.

With a cry of Naruto's name that shot fire through his balls, Sasuke arched his back and came, long and hard. Naruto could feel his body tremouring with the aftershocks of his orgasm as he continued to thrust into him. It didn't take him long, not with Sasuke writhing and moaning underneath him. The pressure in his balls and cock became almost unbearable before it peaked, then he was coming, shooting deep inside Sasuke, their hips pressed tight together.

The orgasm seemed to sap all the energy out of him. With a groan, Naruto collapsed on top of Sasuke, his softening dick still buried deep in his ass. They were both breathing heavily, covered in sweat and semen. It was perfect; Naruto could happily just remain like that forever.

"Don't fall asleep there," Sasuke said, his voice sounding scratchy. "You're heavy."

"You said you wanted to feel me," Naruto murmured, but he rolled over, lying on his back next to Sasuke. He turned his head to see the other man looking at him. He brushed a fallen strand of dark hair off of Sasuke's cheek, his hand lingering on the pale flesh, tracing the line of Sasuke's jaw.

Sasuke let out a soft, contented sigh, and caught Naruto's hand, tangling their fingers together. "Stay the night," he murmured.

"You want me to?"

Sasuke snorted softly. "Of course I want you to."

"I'll have to leave early in the morning. I think that people might have a few questions if I turn up for breakfast."

"Next time, don't leave. No one minds people staying over, and we have enough rooms. Sakura has already practically moved in."

Trust Sasuke to mention her, and ruin a perfect moment. Naruto bit his lip, stopping the snide comment that threatened to pass his lips.

Sasuke stared at him, one eyebrow raised as if he expected an argument.

"I'm not going to fight with you about her," Naruto said. "I think you're wrong, you don't. All we'll do is argue round in circles. Time will tell which one of us is right." _And it will be me,_ he added silently. From the look in Sasuke's eyes, he did not agree. Well, he would. Naruto grinned. Sasuke was his, and the sooner Sasuke realised it, the better for everyone involved.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hideously late update, so I do apologise for that; I've just been super busy. Still, I managed to finish this Chapter, finally! **

**I want to say thank you to all the people who have taken the time to review this story. I love getting your reviews, and seeing what you think of the story, and what I've done to the characters. :)**

**If anyone is feeling like strangling Sasuke at any point in this chapter, I have rope!**

Chapter Five

_June 24__th__ – 2 months and 21 days to the wedding_

Sasuke had been feeling strange over the last few days. It had taken him a while to realise what it was; this odd new feeling that had his heart fluttering and made him want to randomly burst into laughter. Finally, it dawned on him; he was happy. For what seemed like the first time in his life, he was actually happy. Itachi had been feeling better, and had even managed to go out for a short while; Neji and Sasuke had wheeled him around the gardens in his wheel chair, and he had even managed to walk a few steps. His father had praised him for his work on a business proposal. And then there was Naruto. Since they had started to have sex, it seemed like he loved him even more.

The only blight on his new, perfect existence was Sakura, and the impending wedding. For some reason, since they had set the date, she appeared to have had a personality transplant. She was clingy, needy, and seemed to want his input in every part of the planning, which was weird, because she had said that she already had everything sorted. And he was pretty sure that she was trying to sneak into his room at night. The thought of it had him breaking out in a cold sweat, and not just because Naruto was there most nights. He actually thought he would rather have her wander in on him and Naruto, locked together in the midst of very dirty, passionate sex, than have her trying to snuggle up to him.

He had spent the morning in one of the many Uchiha offices around the city. Fugaku mainly worked from home, or just got other people to do the work for him. Sasuke liked to see the people who worked for them, and keep his finger on the pulse of the different businesses his family controlled. Now he was going to meet up with Naruto in the gym, before getting ready to attend the ridiculous charity event his mother had managed to rope him into.

There had been a time when going to the gym with Naruto was the worst sort of torture. The amount of times Sasuke had longed to lick at the sweat trailing down Naruto's back, to follow him into the shower, and take his cock into his mouth. He supposed that he still shouldn't do those things, but at least now he could have Naruto in his bed later, instead of having to go out and find some random stranger to fuck the frustration away.

Since the weather was nice, Sasuke sent his security team ahead in his car, deciding to walk the short distance to the gym. One of his main goals in life, apart from being the perfect heir and getting Naruto in his bed, was to avoid his three minders. Fugaku insisted that he take them with him whenever he went out alone. Sasuke, being the perfect heir, did take them with him, at least when he went out during the day time. Since Fugaku never said anything about keeping them with him, Sasuke had become quite adept at ditching his security detail. Ironically, he only ever seemed to be recognised when they were with him.

He was strolling down the street, lost in a Naruto fantasy, when a flick of pinkish-blonde hair caught his eye. Sakura was sat at a table outside one of the Hokage Tea Bars that littered the city. There was a strange looking man, with jade green eyes, and bright red hair sitting opposite her. Sasuke frowned. He had never seen the guy before, and he wondered if he was one of Sakura's friends. He figured that she must have some, but he had never been introduced to any; the only time they really socialised together outside the family was at public functions. He supposed that he should introduce himself; if the red-head was one of Sakura's friends, he was probably invited to the wedding, and he really should know at least some of the guests.

"Hi, Sakura," he said, coming up behind her.

His fiancée jumped, and almost spilled her tea. "Sasuke!" She exclaimed, spinning around to face him. "I didn't expect to see you here."

He shrugged, wondering why she was so jumpy. "I've just been at the Sharingan building, checking out the new offices," he said. His eyes flicked to Sakura's friend. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he said, once it became clear that Sakura wasn't going to introduce them. He held out his hand.

"Gaara," was the curt reply. Sasuke's outstretched hand was ignored.

"Gaara was just helping me sort some things for the wedding," Sakura said.

Sasuke glanced at Gaara. The red-head was staring at him in a manner that could only be called menacing. He wondered what he had done in the last minute to upset the guy. Maybe he was just like that all the time. If that was the case, no wonder Sakura was edgy.

There was an awkward pause. Sasuke retracted his outstretched arm; Sakura began tearing at her napkin, creating fake confetti that scattered across the table in the breeze. Gaara continued to stare.

"Well, I'm just off down the gym, so see you later?" He really didn't want to stand around being glared at any longer, and a sweaty Naruto awaited him.

"OK," Sakura replied, grinning weakly at him. Gaara just stared.

Sasuke left with a wave, belatedly realising that Sakura had left him alone. Maybe she was over the whole clingy thing, and it had just been a product of the excitement of having a date for the wedding. Maybe she would go back to normal. Sasuke hoped so; he missed being able to talk to her.

He found Naruto already in the gym, which was to be expected; Naruto hated waiting for anything. Sasuke took a moment to enjoy the view; Naruto was wearing knee length shorts and a vest top, which showed off the muscles in his calves and arms very nicely. He was running on one of the treadmills that lined a whole wall of the spacious gym. The wall was glazed, so you could look out over the city to the countryside beyond. Both the Uchiha and Uzumaki mansions were visible in the distance.

Naruto had earphones in; he liked to listen to music when he worked out. He was so enthralled with whatever band that he was listening to that he didn't notice as Sasuke took the treadmill next to his. Sasuke fiddled with the settings, setting the pace for a brisk jog, glancing at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. He much preferred running outside, but the last time that they had tried, running along the lanes between the Uchiha and Uzumaki mansions, Sasuke's minders had followed, in a car. Naruto had almost wet himself laughing, and after that, all of Sasuke's running had been done in the gym.

Naruto's eyes flicked towards him, and a sunny grin lit up his face. It was the sort of smile that turned Sasuke's insides to goo.

"I thought you weren't going to make it," Naruto said, pulling out his earphones.

"I walked," Sasuke replied. "It's nice to get at least a bit of fresh air." He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself grinning like a fool in return to the sunny smile that Naruto shot at him. "And I saw Sakura on the way here."

The sun went behind a particularly stormy cloud as Naruto scowled. Mentioning Sakura's name seemed to be having that effect on him recently. Sasuke would much rather never mention her or the wedding around Naruto, but he was his best friend, and the only person Sasuke could really talk to. And that Gaara guy had been weird; he wanted Naruto's opinion.

"She was with some guy," he continued.

Naruto snorted. "You jealous?"

"No, why would I be? He was just…strange. I don't think he liked me. And Sakura seemed different around him."

"Maybe he's Sakura's secret lover. Could be that she's had enough of masturbating over a picture of you, and has decided that she wants a bit of cock to fill her instead."

Sasuke glared at Naruto. The gym wasn't exactly crowded, but there were people near enough to hear their conversation.

"Don't be crass." He hissed. "Anyway, girls don't do thinks like…that."

Naruto let out a snort of laughter. "What? Masturbate or cheat? Keep on believing that if you want, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head; he couldn't imagine Sakura doing anything sexual. She was a sweet girl; he had never actually spoken to her about it, but he was pretty sure that she was still a virgin. How did a girl masturbate? He wondered, then decided that he probably didn't want to know. He had taken biology, and knew what was down there; thinking about it made him a little bit nauseous. To take his mind off of it, he watched Naruto. The shorts hid his ass, which was a shame because Naruto had such a nice ass; it made Sasuke want to bite it. He imagined Naruto wearing something tighter, that gripped his ass and moulded tight against his cock. Sasuke felt his own dick harden at the thought, and was suddenly very glad that his own clothing was loose.

He wondered how long they would have before the Charity Ball thing that evening. It was such a pain; all he wanted to do was drag Naruto to his bed, and fuck him brainless. The Ball would be an evening of being around Naruto, without being able to touch him. And then, the date from the ridiculous auction would be the following night. Another night away from Naruto. He wondered if there was any way he could get out of it. Though he would have to get Naruto to agree to skip it, too, and for some reason, the idiot actually seemed to be looking forward to it.

"Are you going to stay over tonight?" Sasuke asked softly.

Naruto heard him. "That Ball's being held at your house tonight," he replied, "won't it be a bit risky? I might be caught sneaking out of your room."

"I don't care."

"Yes you do, or I wouldn't need to be sneaking around."

Sasuke scowled. Trust Naruto to be awkward in a public place, where Sasuke couldn't just kiss him into submission. "Will you stay?" He asked again.

"As long as you actually attend the Ball. My mum put a lot of effort into this, and I'm sure lots of silly girls will beggar themselves for a chance at a date with you."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Sasuke asked doubtfully. The whole thing would be a bit easier to bear if Naruto had been jealous.

"It's just a date, Sasuke. It's not like they're paying to sleep with you, or marry you. You give that away for free."

"Sakura will probably win, anyway. I really don't want to spend the whole evening with her. She probably will think she's won the right to sleep with me."

Naruto stopped his treadmill and stared at Sasuke. "Hasn't she?" Naruto asked. "You're marrying her in three months; it's sort of part of the marriage deal."

Sasuke carried on running, his eyes fixed on the distant Uchiha Mansion. "I have to impregnate her," he said. "That shouldn't take too many tries. Hopefully I can do it in one." He really hoped that he could; he didn't think he would be able to stomach it, otherwise.

"Sometimes, I really hate you," Naruto said, his voice soft. "Congratulations, Sasuke. You've done something I didn't think was possible; you've actually made me feel sorry for Sakura. I hope she's barren."

He stalked out of the gym. Sasuke stopped his treadmill, staring at Naruto's retreating back. He knew that letting Naruto calm down would be for the best, rather than chasing after him, but Naruto's words had stung. Grabbing his water bottle, Sasuke followed Naruto into the changing rooms. Naruto was the only one in there, so Sasuke shut the door, pulling a bench in front of it to barricade them in. He did not want any interruptions.

"Why are you so pissed off?" he demanded. "I would have thought that you would prefer it if I didn't sleep with her."

Naruto turned from the open locker he had been rummaging in to glare at Sasuke. "Of course I would," he replied, "I would also prefer it if you didn't marry her. As I have said before, I think that this marriage is a ridiculous idea. You can keep your father happy without ruining our lives, Sasuke. And I am including Sakura in this, as well as you and me. I thought you liked her. How could you do this to someone you consider a friend?"

Sasuke clenched his fists; he did not want to be hearing this from Naruto. He had buried that guilt deep, and here Naruto was unearthing it and leaving him bare.

"As I keep on saying," Sasuke snapped, "I don't want to be doing any of this. I will make Sakura happy; there are ways other than sex."

"Yeah, because that's what you use for me," Naruto said, his voice tight.

The look in his blue eyes was intense; blue flame, burning cold. Sasuke had never seen him this angry before. For some reason, the look went straight to his cock; he wanted to take the violence that had Naruto shaking into his body, claim it for his own. It was a mad thought, but something that Sasuke couldn't shake.

"Does it make you happy?" Sasuke asked softly.

Naruto slammed the open locker door shut, and stalked towards Sasuke.

"You make me miserable," Naruto hissed; "sometimes I don't know whether I love you or hate you."

"Yet you won't let me go."

"I should," Naruto replied, still moving towards Sasuke. Sasuke's back was to the door; there was only a bare meter between them. He couldn't resist a last, needling comment.

"You won't," Sasuke breathed, "not ever. " He kept eye contact with Naruto, struggling not to drown in the icy depths of his gaze, "I'm yours, more than I'll ever be hers; I'm yours. Marriage won't change that, sex won't change it. I belong to you, Naruto." He wished that he could make Naruto see the truth of it; whatever part he played in public with Sakura, the truth was what lay between them. Nothing would change that, not even death, though loosing Naruto would likely destroy him. Sasuke was Naruto's, and Naruto was Sasuke's.

Naruto grabbed him by the shoulders, and slammed him against the door. Then his mouth was on Sasuke's, possessive, greedy, angry, demanding. Sasuke opened his mouth to the kiss, feeling Naruto's teeth catch at his lips, tasting blood on his tongue. The pain was intoxicating, and it made him harder.

Sasuke wiggled in Naruto's grasp, and managed to pull a hand free, feeling Naruto's nails scratch at his skin. Still kissing, he managed to strip of his jogging bottoms, and pull down Naruto's shorts enough to free his engorged cock.

No words were spoken, but Naruto seemed to understand what Sasuke was doing. He gripped Sasuke around the waist, lifting him. The movement broke their kiss. Sasuke wrapped his legs around Naruto's waist, and his arms around his neck. He stared down into Naruto's eyes; they were still hard with anger, which was good. Normally, Naruto would never allow this, but Sasuke wanted it, needed it. He shifted, until Naruto's cock was lined up with his hole. Bracing his shoulder blades against the door, Sasuke bore down. It was hard, with only sweat and pre-come as lube and the awkwardness of the position, and when the head pierced his rim, Sasuke hissed at the burning pain. It didn't stop him from sinking down, burying Naruto deep within himself.

Tears pricked at his eyes with the deep ache of being filled so completely without any preparation. He didn't think his cock had ever been harder. The pain felt so good, it was almost pleasure, then there was no almost as Naruto began to thrust into him. Slowly, because of the position, but so hard and deep that Sasuke was practically mewling with pleasure.

Sasuke lowered one leg onto the bench keeping the door shut to bear some of his weight. It allowed him to meet each thrust with a jerk of his own hips. All the while, he kept eye contact with Naruto, watching the ice melt, knowing that Naruto felt it too; the deep connection between them.

_I love you,_ Sasuke thought; _I love you, I love you, I love you._ He might have said it out loud; he didn't know because he was coming, hard and long, the pleasure overwhelming him, causing his breath to come out in deep sobs. He felt Naruto pulse inside him, then the emptiness as his cock slipped out of Sasuke's ass, limp and spent.

Sasuke allowed Naruto to untangle him; his legs were shaky, and he didn't think they would hold his weight. He propped himself up with the door; the ache in his ass warned him against sitting on the hard wooden bench. Wetness trickled down his thigh, and he hoped it was only come. In retrospect, dry sex in a gym changing room wasn't the smartest idea.

Naruto grabbed his hand, and led him to the showers, silent. For some reason, Sasuke suddenly found it hard to meet Naruto's eyes. He let himself be led, leaning against the wall as Naruto turned on the shower. He watched as Naruto washed himself, his eyes following the trail of soap down his back and between his ass cheeks. He wanted to lick the trail, but his body didn't seem to be able to move.

He passively allowed Naruto to wash him, revelling in the feeling of his strong hands all over his body. Naruto turned him to face the wall, and gently probed at his ass. Sasuke shuddered, an aftershock of pleasure tingling through his balls.

"I don't hate you," Naruto said, breaking the silence.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did," Sasuke found himself saying. Naruto really had managed to fuck him stupid. He forced himself to turn around and face Naruto.

"I should hate you," Naruto said. "Sometimes, I wish I did. It would be easier. I just can't."

Sasuke reached out, and placed his palm against Naruto's cheek. A soft smile spread on Naruto's face, but his eyes were still sad. Sasuke hated that; he longed to make Naruto happy, to have the full sunshine of his grin directed at him.

A loud banging on the door had them leaping apart. Sasuke's legs were still wobbly, and he almost fell on his tender posterior. Naruto dragged him out of the showers, and threw a towel at him. He had managed to fumble it around his waist by the time that Naruto had removed the bench from in front of the door.

Thankfully, it wasn't anyone they knew. The guy still gave them a weird look as he walked to the far end of the room.

Sasuke and Naruto dressed quickly and quietly, before dashing out of the changing room. Once they were a good distance away, Naruto stopped and let out a howl of laughter that he had obviously been holding in for some time.

"Did you see his face?" He gasped, letting out another gale of laughter.

Sasuke scowled. "He obviously knew what we were doing," he said, "what if he tells someone?"

Naruto snorted. "Who would he tell? And how would anyone know it was us? Oh, and for the record, I really don't care. I'm gay and in love with you, I don't care who knows it."

"I care," Sasuke said tersely.

"I don't care that you care," Naruto responded.

"Stop being such a child," Sasuke snapped, starting down the corridor. Each step sent a jolt through his ass; not pain exactly, just an ache reminding him of what they had done.

"Nothing childish about the way I just fucked you," Naruto called after him.

Sasuke spun around. The corridor was empty, but anyone could be in one of the rooms leading from it. Naruto had a small, smug grin on his face, a look that made Sasuke want to punch him, then kiss him.

"I'll see you tonight," Sasuke said, resisting the urge to go back to Naruto, "and you will be staying over."

He spun on his heel and stalked away before he did something stupid, like drag Naruto into the yoga room for round two.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The Ball was well attended, as one would expect from an event organised by Mikoto and Kushina. It was strictly ticket only, with each ticket selling for £100.00. All proceeds would be going to the charity of the day. Sasuke thought that it was either some sort of disease research, or possibly to feed baby pandas. You could never be too sure where Kushina was concerned.

The event took place in the Ball Room of the Uchiha mansion, which took up almost half of the floor plan of the ground floor. There was a raised dais at the back end of the room, where a band was currently playing. Later, it would be the site of the dreaded auction. Sasuke wondered again how he had managed to get roped into that. Tables lined one side of the hall, where people could sit and eat the buffet that had been laid out. The majority of the floor was set aside for dancing. Mikoto had hired extra staff for the event, and they wandered smoothly through the couples on the dance floor, offering champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

Sasuke had managed to avoid the dancing, so far. He liked dancing when his partner was hard and male pressed up against him, and the beat was pounding in his ears. The genteel dancing at these sort of functions bored him. Naruto was in the thick of it with Hinata, dancing to a tune in his head, or at least so Sasuke thought; Naruto and Hinata were dancing almost twice as fast as the other couples lazily spinning to the soft swing played by the band.

He spotted Sakura coming towards him, and quickly slid from his seat. The Ball had been going on for two hours, and so far he had spent the majority of it avoiding Sakura, while Naruto stubbornly avoided him. He had tried to go after Naruto on the dance floor earlier, only to be accosted by a large breasted blonde woman, who had insisted on him dancing with her. Sakura had not been impressed. Sasuke had been even less impressed. Naruto had laughed.

Someone grabbed his arm, and Sasuke turned to snarl at them, only to find himself face to face with Naruto.

"It's almost time for the auction," Naruto said.

Sasuke groaned. "Do you think they'll let me off if I start projectile vomiting?" He asked.

"Eww, no. Just remember it's all for a good cause."

Sasuke allowed himself to be lead up to the dais. The band had stopped playing and were shifting their stuff around. Mikoto and Kushina were standing off to one side, surrounded by a group of similarly doomed bachelors. For some reason, most of them looked pretty happy to be traded on like they were a slab of meat. It would be different if it were women being auctioned off, Sasuke thought sourly. There would be hoards of females protesting that it was sexist. Stupid double standards of the bloody feminist movement.

Sasuke found himself stood on the dais with Naruto on one side, and a fat guy on the other; he was probably only there because it was the only way he would get a date. Naruto still seemed suspiciously bubbly as Kushina stepped up to the microphone at the front of the stage.

"OK, before we begin, I'd like to thank you all for coming and showing your support for the new pulmonary research centre that we are funding. Every penny raised will go to buying equipment." Kushina paused, and the guests gave a round of polite applause. Sasuke noticed Itachi sat at the back of the hall. He was in his wheel chair, with Neji standing over him like some sort of protective shadow. Itachi caught Sasuke's eye, and shot him a smirk. Clearly he was enjoying the fact that Sasuke was standing there, and not him. Sasuke scowled at him.

"So now," Kushina continued, "here comes the part that you've all been waiting for; the auction." She grinned; there were several cat calls and whistles.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sakura had managed to push her way to the front of the crowd around the dais, a determined look on her face. Her family had pedigree, the main reason why Fugaku was behind the marriage, but very little money. The Uchiha family were footing the bill for the wedding, and Sasuke wondered if his mother had donated any money to Sakura to bid on him. Naruto insisted that Mikoto knew about them, but as far as Sasuke could see, she was as involved in planning the wedding as the rest of his family. Judging by the crowd of women shooting him approving looks, Sakura was going to need all the help she could get if she was going to win him. And Sasuke found himself hoping that she did win; some of the looks the other women were giving him were downright predatory. At least he knew where he stood with Sakura.

"Now, we have a surprise twist to this auction," Kushina continued; "You won't be bidding on just the one; we'll be giving you two boys for your money."

The crowd cheered; Sakura frowned. Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who was grinning from ear to ear. A sudden nagging suspicion ate at him as his mother approached holding a top hat.

Kushina reached into the hat and pulled out two crumpled up pieces of paper. "We will be pairing the guys randomly," she announced, "and the first pair up on the auction block are…Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sasuke was willing to wager his shares in the Uchiha Corporation that those weren't the names on the pieces of paper; Kushina had barely even glanced at them.

"Ohh, we're first," Naruto said, grabbing Sasuke's wrist and dragging him to the front of the stage, waving theatrically with his other hand.

"You planned this," Sasuke hissed at him.

Naruto shot him a look so innocent it had cherub wings. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "It's just the luck of the draw."

"Ok, I'm going to start the bidding at five hundred pounds," Kushina said.

Sakura's arm raised into the air as if powered by a piston.

"One thousand pounds," a soft voice said. Sasuke glanced down at the crowd to see Hinata, her face crimson, with her hand in the air. Sakura glared at her.

"One thousand five hundred," Sakura snapped before Kushina could even acknowledge either of the bids.

"Three thousand," Hinata responded.

Then all hell broke loose. Sasuke had no idea how Kushina kept track of all the bids. The busty blond woman, who was probably old enough to be their mother under all the plastic surgery, was particularly keen, but for every bid made, Hinata quietly met it. Sasuke wondered where she was getting the money from. The Hyuuga family was rich, but he doubted that Hiashi would approve of Hinata spending the family money on a date. Sakura dropped out, defeated, around the ten thousand mark. Sasuke almost felt sorry for her.

The last two bidders were Hinata and the blonde woman.

"Thirty five thousand," the blonde said, shooting Hinata a glare.

Hinata smiled serenely. "Fifty thousand." She said.

The blonde slumped with a sigh. For some reason, Kushina looked incredibly pale. "Do I hear any more bids?" she asked finally.

The room was silent, all eyes turned to Hinata. Her blush deepened.

Kushina let out a small sigh. "Sold to Hinata Hyuuga for fifty thousand pounds."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The remainder of the Ball passed surprisingly fast; Sakura had retreated to her room early, though she had spent a good half hour before going sobbing on Sasuke's shoulder, berating herself for being impoverished and worthless. Sasuke was quite glad once she had gone; he really didn't like seeing her upset, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it. The date was for charity, and it was with Naruto and Hinata, so it wasn't like she had any reason to worry.

Once Sakura was out of the way, Sasuke spent the rest of his time keeping an eye on Naruto. The last thing he wanted was for the blond to sneak out. He didn't think that Naruto was still pissed at him, but it was hard to tell. His ass still ached from the afternoon; not a lot, just a slight burn that had him thinking of Naruto every time he took a step.

As the guests began to file out, Sasuke decided that he had waited long enough. He grabbed Naruto, and dragged him out of the Ball room. Checking that the coast was clear, he tangled his fingers in Naruto's hair, and pulled him into a kiss. Naruto's mouth opened against his, returning the kiss with a languid flick of his tongue. Naruto's mouth tasted of strawberries. Sasuke pulled away from the kiss, licking his lips.

"You know, if you wanted me to take you out to dinner, you could have just asked," he said. "You didn't need to make Hinata spend fifty thousand pounds."

Naruto grinned at him. "It wasn't my idea," he said. "Besides, I bet you wouldn't have."

"I would. Ask me, and I'll take you out to dinner."

Naruto let out a snort of laughter. He backed away from Sasuke, the light from the ball room hitting his face and casting a halo around him. Sasuke, left in the shadows, felt strangely bereft for a moment.

"You are taking me out for dinner, remember. And I'm bringing Hinata as my date. Good night, Sasuke." He turned back to the Ball Room.

"Wait," Sasuke called out, his arm reaching towards Naruto on its own volition.

Naruto paused, and turned towards him.

"You're staying with me tonight," Sasuke said. Naruto looked at him for a long moment, one golden eyebrow raised.

"Why? I bet your ass is too sore for sex."

Sasuke scowled at him. "It doesn't always have to be about sex," he said. He wasn't going any further than that, wasn't going to admit that he slept easier with Naruto beside him. He wasn't going to say how he loved waking up to the feel of Naruto holding him, how he would watch the blond as he slept, snoring and drool and all, and fall a bit more in love with him each time.

Somehow, though, Naruto got it. He smiled softly. "No, it doesn't," he said.

He followed Sasuke up the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: looong chapter compared to the others; lots of seeds planted in this one, to sprout later on ;). Doesn't help that Sasuke is far easier to write then Naruto.**

**Huge thanks to all who have reviewed. I love that some of you are questioning the presence of Gaara...and that people do feel sorry for Sakura. I was worried about her, as Naruto isn't a fan, and Sasuke doesn't really get her, so neither of them really give an accurate portrayal of her. I'm glad she's not hated :)**

**Disclaimer still applies :D**

Chapter Six

_June 25__th__ – 2 months and 20 days to the wedding_

Naruto propped himself up on one elbow, staring down at Sasuke's sleeping face. He supposed that he should go soon; he could hear movement in the house, sure sign that the guests were up and about. Still, he could spend hours just like this, watching Sasuke sleep. When Sasuke was asleep, all his shields were down; he wasn't the heir to the Uchiha family, trying so desperately hard to please his father and fill in for his brother. He was just Sasuke, Naruto's lover. It was the same during sex; only then Naruto was too caught up in what he was doing to just study Sasuke.

Right now, Sasuke was curled up on his side, his thick dark hair tangled and partially obscuring his face. One of his hands rested on Naruto's hip, the other was tucked under his head. Under the covers, out of sight, his legs were tangled with Naruto's. He looked so peaceful; Naruto longed to kiss him, but he didn't want to break the spell. Awake Sasuke was nowhere near as cute as sleeping Sasuke.

Naruto sighed. Over the last few years, with Sasuke getting more and more pressure from his father, and Itachi's health getting worse, he had felt like he was losing Sasuke. He missed how it had been before, when they had no worries. If only he had told Sasuke how he felt then, they could have been together, happy, for years, with none of this wedding bull shit. He missed fun Sasuke.

Thinking back, he really should have realised that Sasuke was gay. All through school and university, Sasuke had girls hanging around him, but he never dated any of them. Sakura had been the first, and that was because their parents had pushed them together. Sasuke had the wealth, Sakura, while from a poor family, had the name; the Haruno family were almost as old as the Uchiha's. Even then, Naruto should have figured something was off about the relationship. Sasuke and Sakura had been paired up by their parents in their last year of university, and had arranged several study dates. Naruto had found this suspicious, as Sakura was studying nursing, while Sasuke was being a good Uchiha, and taking a business degree. Naruto had taken drama, because it looked fun. As Minato had never even been to university, he had declared that life would be a better teacher to prepare Naruto to take over the family business, and had happily paid his tuition fees.

Naruto, deeply jealous, had tagged along to one of Sasuke and Sakura's study dates, to find that they actually just studied. Sakura had been really enthusiastic about nursing; Naruto sometimes wondered if she regretted the fact that no Uchiha wife had ever had a career of their own. Sakura had never become a nurse; she had become Sasuke's fiancée.

The temptation became too great. He reached out, and gently brushed Sasuke's hair away from his face. Sasuke let out a murmur, and his eyes slowly opened. Still hazed with sleep, they slowly focused on Naruto's face. Sasuke gave Naruto a sleepy smile, before turning onto his back and stretching. He then rolled back over to face Naruto, trailing his fingers down Naruto's cheek. Naruto kissed him, a soft brush of lips that deepened as Sasuke opened his mouth with a moan, pressing his body flush against Naruto's.

Naruto wondered how long they had; he could feel Sasuke's morning erection pressing against his thigh, and his own cock was starting to take interest. They hadn't had sex the previous night; instead they had held each other and exchanged soft kisses until they drifted into sleep. It had been nice, and the first time they had just slept together. Since they had started having sex, they could barely keep their hands off each other. Naruto saw it as making up for lost time.

Sasuke's hand slipped under the covers and gripped Naruto's cock. He stroked it until it was fully awake, hard and aching, then, with a particularly wicked smile, he vanished under the covers.

Naruto let out a gasp as his cock was enveloped by Sasuke's hot mouth. Sasuke quickly set up a rhythm designed to make Naruto melt; his lips tight, sinking all the way down to the base of Naruto's cock, then dragging his mouth up until only the head was still inside. Naruto pushed the covers off, desperate to watch.

Sasuke glanced up at him, his dark eyes smouldering. His hand was on his own cock, pumping fast. Naruto let out a moan, and tangled his fingers in Sasuke's sleep mussed hair, urging him to go faster. Sasuke obliged, his head bobbing, his mouth a pit of molten heat that made Naruto's cock pulse and his balls ache.

Sasuke let out a moan as he came; the vibration's almost sending Naruto over the edge. He grasped Naruto's cock with a hand slick with his own come, and began to stroke Naruto's dick, teasing the head with his tongue. His other hand slipped lower, cupping Naruto's balls and rolling them.

Sasuke kept eye contact with Naruto, a smile playing on his lips. His hand moved faster, and Naruto was coming, letting out a low hiss of Sasuke's name. Sasuke opened his mouth, catching some of Naruto's seed on his tongue. The rest splattered on his face. This was the Sasuke that Naruto loved as much as his sleeping counterpart; open and honest, lewd and totally unashamed. Sasuke snaked his way up Naruto's body. Naruto licked his come off of Sasuke's face, before kissing him, tasting himself in Sasuke's mouth.

"Morning," Sasuke murmured against Naruto's lips.

Naruto let out a small chuckle, wrapping his arms around Sasuke. This was how it should be, always. Surely Sasuke could see that.

Their fantasy was shattered by a knocking on the door. Sasuke let out a frustrated sound, and rolled off of Naruto.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's voice came through the door. "Do you want to come down to breakfast with me?"

Naruto ground his teeth. Sasuke looked just about as irritated as he felt.

"Go on without me," Sasuke called out, "I only just woke up. Damn woman." The last was muttered under his breath.

Naruto felt like reminding Sasuke that in just under three months he would be marrying Sakura, and he would find it a lot harder to keep a bedroom door between them. But he didn't want to fight. Enough episodes like this, and Sasuke might finally start to see sense, and realise that he was being stupid.

Sasuke glanced over at him. "I'm surprised you have nothing to say," he said.

Naruto felt the last of his good mood evaporate. So much for not wanting a fight; Sasuke seemed to want one anyway. "Why should I bother?" He snapped. "It's not like you listen to me anyway." He pushed himself off the bed, and stalked into the bathroom, turning the shower on. Predictably, Sasuke followed him in.

"You know, Naruto," Sasuke said, grabbing the shampoo and stepping into the shower cubicle, "You say I don't listen to you, but I do. You're worse. I at least try to compromise."

Naruto snatched the shampoo from Sasuke, and worked it into his hair. "You compromise?" He snorted, "how?"

"I'm with you, aren't I? I'm risking my position to be with you; my father would disown me if he ever found out about us."

"I doubt that," Naruto said, "You're his only choice. Anyway, that's not compromising; it's just you taking a bit of what you want, instead of putting everything into your damn Uchiha obligations. And so what if this is what compromise is in your little world. I don't want compromise; I want you, all of you."

He turned away from the spray to face Sasuke, and found him staring at him, shampoo still in his hair, his eyes wide. "I want you, too," Sasuke said, his voice so soft Naruto could barely hear him over the pounding of the water. "But I can't-"

Naruto placed a soapy hand against Sasuke's lips to stall him. "I know, Sasuke. I've heard all of your arguments, and we just go around in circles. So can we please just stop?"

Naruto tipped his head back to wash off the last of the shampoo. He needed to stop letting Sasuke provoke him; the more they argued, the more stubborn Sasuke became. It was just so hard, when Sasuke failed to see what was obvious to Naruto. He brought his head back up to find Sasuke staring at him suspiciously, a trail of shampoo running down his shoulder.

"So, you suddenly agree with the wedding?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No, I don't." he grabbed the shower gel, swapping places with Sasuke so he could wash the shampoo out of his hair. "I'm never going to agree with you marrying Sakura. I'm just not arguing with you about it anymore."

"I don't believe you."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Stop trying to pick a fight," he snapped. "I said I'm not going to argue about it. Turn around so I can wash your back."

Sasuke's lips twitched in a small smile as he turned around. Naruto squirted the shower gel into his hands, rubbing it across Sasuke's shoulder blades, then down his spine, briefly caressing his hips and buttocks. He placed a kiss against Sasuke's damp neck.

"I wish I could just run away with you," Sasuke murmured, "abandon it all; Itachi, Sakura, my father. Just you and me, with nothing else to worry about."

"So let's just do it; we can kill your father first so he won't come after us." Naruto said

Sasuke let out a snort of laughter, and turned to face Naruto. "Then we go on the run? It'll be like Thelma and Louise. Only gayer."

Naruto grinned, but he had to force it out. The truth was he would abandon everything for Sasuke if he asked him to. He would do anything to release the shackles of obligation that ensnared Sasuke. It hurt that Sasuke wouldn't do the same for him.

Sasuke grabbed the shower gel, and began washing Naruto, the light caress of his soapy fingers raising goose bumps on Naruto's skin.

"We're going to miss breakfast," Naruto said, his breath catching as Sasuke's hands slid over first his cock, then his balls. Mikoto's post-party breakfasts were almost as legendary as he dinner parties; it was the main reason why so many guests spent the night at the Uchiha Manor.

"I don't care. I'm not hungry, anyway."

Naruto was hungry; the last thing he had eaten was some crappy bit of pastry filled with prawn mayo at the ball. His cock seemed to have other ideas, as Sasuke's caressing of it became more insistent. With a groan, Naruto pushed Sasuke's hand away.

"Sakura will come looking for you," Naruto said. "As happy as I would be for her to walk in on me fucking you senseless, you keep your door locked. So she will just hang around until she gets to see you." He stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. He kept his back to Sasuke, knowing that his resolve would crumble at the sight of his wet, naked lover. A brief inspection of his face in the steamy mirror suggested that he could hold off shaving for another day.

He resolutely walked back into the bedroom, and began going through Sasuke's wardrobe. He had been wearing a suit the night before, and hadn't brought any spare clothing. Luckily, he and Sasuke were pretty much the same size. He barely had the chance to grab a pair of jeans before he was knocked onto the floor by a still very wet and naked Sasuke. Sasuke's mouth locked with his, while his hands quickly stripped Naruto of the minimal protection of the towel. Naruto grabbed Sasuke, planning to push him away, but instead found himself embracing the other man.

"I'm taking you out to dinner tonight," Sasuke purred, "I don't want you to spoil the meal."

"It's nine in the morning; I don't think I'll spoil tea by eating now." But despite his protests, Naruto couldn't seem to push Sasuke away. Instead he held him tighter, thrusting his tongue deep into his mouth; loving the feeling of Sasuke on top of him: hot, wet, naked and his.

Another knock on the door interrupted them. "Bloody hell," Sasuke hissed.

"Sasuke," it was Mikoto's voice this time. "Breakfast is getting cold."

"Naruto, are you in there?" Kushina chimed in.

Sasuke paled. "Shit, shut her up," he said.

"No, I'm not here," Naruto called out. He shrugged at the glare Sasuke gave him. He didn't think that Mr-lets-keep-our –affair-top-secret would want him to admit being in his room.

"OK," Kushina called, "since you're not there, I'm just going to eat your breakfast. I'll see you at home. Love you!"

"Ok, she's serious about that, so we really need to get dressed." Naruto said, finally finding the motivation to push Sasuke off of him.

At least Sasuke didn't have to worry about people seeing them coming down for breakfast together. By the time they got there, the dining room was nearly empty. The only one there was Sasuke's creepy uncle Madara, who insisted on wearing a mask all the time and calling himself Tobi. The mask made eating anything a very slow affair. Naruto was amazed that Fugaku hadn't shipped the old loon off to a mental home. Kushina had eaten Naruto's portion, but Sasuke shared his.

Sakura found them towards the end of the meal, elbowing her way in between them. Naruto had wanted to drag Sasuke away from the house, but Sakura stymied his plans. Sasuke simply had to help her taste some cakes. Never mind that Sasuke didn't like cakes; Itachi had the sweet tooth in the Uchiha family, Sasuke was more of a savoury person. Something that Sakura should be aware of.

Naruto forced himself to smile as she dragged Sasuke away; he really didn't know how much more he could take. There was no way that he would spend the rest of his life sneaking around to be with Sasuke; he wanted everyone to know how he felt about the stupid bastard. A sudden thought struck him; maybe he couldn't force Sasuke out of the closest, but he could at least be honest himself. Naruto felt a grin spread on his face; he was going to ensure that the next social gathering of the elite, or at least the next time Mikoto hosted a dinner party, was one to remember. Though he supposed that he should speak to his dad, first.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Naruto found Minato in his study; it was a small room at the back of the house, with a large wooden desk sitting in the centre of it. Naruto spent a lot of his time avoiding the small room; it was where Minato would drill him on the basics of running a tea house empire. He had been threatening to make Naruto the manager of one of the Hokage bars in town for some time now, to teach him the business from the bottom. Kushina had slyly suggested that if he wanted Naruto to start from the bottom, he should hire him as a dishwasher first. Thankfully, Minato hadn't agreed with her.

As much as Naruto admired his father, he preferred the idea of following in his mother's footsteps, and just doing what he wanted. He was more than willing to take over from his father one day, in the distant future, but he had seen what slavishly devoting yourself to the family business had done to Sasuke. He wanted to find his own way in life, something that Minato fully supported. However, he had given Naruto a deadline. If he didn't decide what he was going to do with himself by the time he was twenty five, Minato was going to make the decision for him. And the closer Naruto came to twenty five without any real career goal, the more tasks Minato gave him.

It was another deadline, looming above him, not as close as the wedding, but still imminent. So Naruto had taken to avoiding his dad wherever possible. Then the whole thing with Sasuke had happened, and he had been too distracted to think about anything else.

Letting out a small sigh, Naruto knocked on the door of his dad's study. Minato looked up, a smile appearing on his face as he saw his son in the doorway.

"Naruto," he said, gesturing to the one of the two chairs sat in front of his desk. Naruto sank into it. As always, Minato's desk was covered in paperwork, and old tea mugs. A few were looking suspiciously hairy.

"Dad," Naruto began, suddenly very nervous.

"Do you want to see the sales figures for the different weekly specials?" Minato interrupted. "They make for some interesting reading. I'm thinking of making the Strawberry Whip cream tea a regular. What do you think?"

Naruto glanced down at the spread sheet handed to him. The numbers seemed to blur together. He was sure that Sasuke would be able to make sense of them instantly, but Naruto had always had problems with making numbers work for him.

"Ummm, yeah. Is that the one with the cherry on the top?"

"That's the Berry Time Surprise cream tea," Minato said with a sigh.

"Oh. Is that the one that comes with a toy?"

"That's the kid's milk and biscuit combo. You could at least try to keep up with the menus."

"Sorry. I've had a lot on my mind recently." Naruto put the paper with the confusing numbers carefully on the top of the nearest pile. It wobbled slightly, before reconciling itself with gravity.

"Ok, instead of the figures, why don't you design the add campaign for putting the Strawberry Whip on the main menu. You're good at that sort of thing."

Naruto frowned. "Don't you pay people to do that for you?"

Minato grinned. "Yes I do, but you could do it for free, which is only fair, since that is what I charge you for living here."

Naruto sighed. He knew he shouldn't have come here. Normally, this sort of project would excite him, but he really needed to focus all his attentions on Sasuke. He wondered if his dad would wait three months for the initial proposal. Unless, of course, Sasuke realised that he was being a complete twat sooner. Or, maybe Naruto could get Sasuke to help him out. It was the perfect excuse to get Sasuke away from Sakura, and back where he belonged: with Naruto.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by Minato hitting him on the head with a folder.

"Ow!" Naruto glared at his dad, who was openly laughing at him.

"I wish that you would spend half as much energy and time on the business as you do chasing that Uchiha boy," he said.

Naruto stared at him, absently rubbing his injured head. "You know about Sasuke?"

Minato rolled his eyes. "You're not exactly subtle. Besides, Kushina tells me everything."

"Oh. I actually came here to tell you I was gay." He wondered if everyone knew; it made the whole confessing thing slightly anti-climatic.

"I figured that out quite a while ago, son. I don't know why you didn't tell me sooner."

Naruto shrugged. This was surprisingly awkward. "I don't know, either," he said. "I don't know why I kept it to myself for so long. Well, apart from being worried that Mum would get all weird about it. I'll do that add thing for you."

"I want the initial proposal by noon a week Monday. Oh, and remember Naruto; it's your life. You need to do what you need to do. Don't let yourself be manipulated into a situation where you have to compromise yourself, and don't live for someone else. The only person you can live for is you."

Naruto grinned. "I know," he said. "Thanks, Dad." He bounced out of the chair, and headed to the door.

"Naruto!" His dad called.

Naruto turned around to find Minato holding out the folder to him. "You're going to need this," he said.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Naruto was in high spirits as he drove Hinata to the restaurant for their date. He had arranged for Sasuke to meet them there. He had the radio tuned in to an 80's rock station, and he was singing along with all of the songs. He had tried to get Hinata to join in, but she had just blushed, shaking her head.

"Naruto," Hinata said, her quite voice managing to break through the guitar solo that Naruto was singing along with.

"What's the matter, Hinata?" she was staring down at her fingers, poking them together; a sure sign that something was making her nervous.

"Your mother asked me to speak to Sakura, to make her do things that Sasuke won't like, but to convince her that he would like them."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Look, Hinata. I know that you want to help, which is great, but don't let mum talk you into doing things that you find uncomfortable."

"Oh, it's not that. I was just wondering, why Sakura wouldn't want Sasuke to be happy. I thought that if you loved someone, you would want them to be happy, would do anything to make them happy, even if that meant that you couldn't be with them."

"You can't tell Sakura about us," Naruto said. "As much as I want everything out in the open, Sasuke needs to be the one to tell her." He wondered, though, if Hinata was right. It would make life so much easier if Sakura found out, and approved. But he didn't think that she would let Sasuke go easily. Naruto knew, now that he had Sasuke, he would never willingly let him go; why would Sakura be any different?

"I won't tell her," Hinata said. "It's just…I want you to be happy, Naruto."

Naruto grinned at her. "I am happy," he said. "When have you ever seen me not happy? Oooh, I love this one!" He turned the radio up louder.

The restaurant that Mikoto and Kushina had chosen was one of the fanciest in town. Naruto rarely ate out; he preferred to order a pizza, and eat it at home. Mikoto's dinners were about as fancy as he got, and while she had high class chiefs, the chiefs in this restaurant clearly trumped them. Even Hinata, no stranger to fancy places, was staring around in awe.

The restaurant took up the whole ground floor of the Imperia Hotel. It had a high domed ceiling, from which hung a chandelier as wide as Naruto was tall. The décor was faux Arabian, all golds and purples. The main floor plan of the restaurant was open, but the walls were lined with booths, tall arched entrance ways shrouded in sumptuous silk drapes. The coolest thing about the booths was that some of them had fish tank walls. Naruto really wanted to add one to his bathroom, but Kushina thought it was cruel, and Minato impractical. Naruto had noticed the fish tank walls when he had scoped the place out earlier in the day, and decided that they had to have a booth. Sasuke would probably like the privacy, too.

"Wow," Hinata breathed. "I almost wish I was staying, now."

"I swear I'll bring you here again, another time," Naruto said, feeling suddenly guilty. Hinata was giving up the date she had won for him. Impulsively, he wrapped his arm around her in a hug. "Thank you," he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Hinata flushed bright red and stammered. Naruto wondered if she would ever get rid of her shyness. He had thought that she was getting better.

One of the waiters came over, a pompous looking fellow who seemed more of a caricature than an actual person. Naruto was surprised when he spoke; he had expected his voice to be nasal, but it was quite pleasant.

They were escorted to their booth, complete with fish walls, to find Sasuke already there waiting for them. He was not alone.

Naruto stared at the hulking figure hovering behind Sasuke and crowding out the booth as Hinata slid onto a chair, settling her hand bag on the floor, and complimenting Sasuke on his tie.

"Who brings their minder on a date?" Naruto snapped, turning his glare to Sasuke. He had plans for tonight, that didn't include any company bar him and Sasuke.

Sasuke's dark eyes flashed with icy fire. "Everyone knew where I was going tonight," he said. "I could hardly not bring someone along. You should be glad that I managed to leave Karin and Suigetsu at home."

Naruto sat himself next to Hinata, who was poking at the fish wall, with a small sigh. He should have known; nothing was ever easy where Sasuke was concerned.

Naruto ordered a bottle of champagne, and opened up the menu. Most of it was in French. He grimaced; languages were not his strong point. He would have to rely on Sasuke, and hope that he didn't order him snails or something else disgusting.

"You want that one," Sasuke said reaching over and pointing to something unpronounceable on Naruto's menu.

Naruto raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Really?" he asked.

Sasuke smiled. "Trust me," he said.

The waiter came back with the champagne and poured them all a glass, apart from Juugo, who was treated like an item of furniture. He didn't seem to mind; his eyes were fixed on the fish wall.

Naruto took the opportunity to grab Hinata. He pointed to the item that Sasuke had selected for him on the menu. "Hey, this isn't snails, is it?" He asked.

Hinata frowned down at the menu. "No. snails are escargot." She pointed to a different dish. "This is _Le Poisson avec pommes frites_….fish and chips. How odd; that's not particularly French."

Naruto grinned. "Suits me; I hate fancy food."

"Which is why you're constantly importing in ramen," Sasuke said.

"Instant ramen," Naruto retorted. "Nothing fancy about that."

Sasuke snorted, and ordered something incomprehensible. Naruto pointed to the fish and chips; he wasn't about to make himself look like an idiot by trying to pronounce it. The waiter turned to Hinata, waiting for her to order. She licked her lips, her lilac eyes suddenly very wide. This was it; Hinata was preparing to act her socks off.

She stood up, her chair grating against the floor, and took a wobbling step forward. Naruto realised that he was in her way, and hurriedly stood up. Hinata let out a moan, dramatically holding the back of one hand against her forehead. She stumbled forward, swaying from side to side, then collapsed in a heap at Naruto's feet.

Naruto stared down at her; they hadn't really spoken about what she was going to do, but he hadn't expected that. He had thought that maybe she would plead a sudden sickness and go home. The waiter was on the verge of panic; Juugo looked concerned. Sasuke appeared to be unable to decide whether he was annoyed or amused.

Naruto knelt down next to Hinata. "Hey," he hissed in her ear, "wasn't that a bit over the top?"

"I didn't know what to say," Hinata whispered back.

"Well, that was a successful date," Sasuke said. "It lasted all of five minutes. You're going to have to take her home now." He seemed to have settled on being annoyed.

_Crap! _Naruto thought; he hadn't really thought about how to get Hinata home. Even if she wasn't faking unconsciousness, he had driven her there. He doubted that Hiashi Hyuuga would appreciate a call to come and get her. Crap! Then he remembered Juugo. He felt a slow smile spread on his face.

"Juugo can take her home," he said.

"How will I get home? We only brought the one car."

"I'll take you home." It worked out perfectly, thank god for Fugaku's obsession with personal staff for the Uchiha family.

Sasuke gave Naruto a long, considering look before nodding. "OK. Juugo, take Hinata home; don't let anyone see you get back to the Uchiha manor, I don't want father to realise I'm out alone."

Juugo picked Hinata up as easily as if she were a rag doll. She let out a small gasp of surprise before she remembered that she was supposed to be out cold and went limp.

The panicked waiter paled as Juugo pushed aside the drape and calmly strode through the centre of the restaurant carrying Hinata.

Sasuke glared at him. "What are you waiting for? I want my food sometime today, please."

The man bowed and backed out of the booth, apparently acting on auto pilot.

It was too much for Naruto to bear; he burst out laughing as he sunk down into Hinata's vacated chair. "Did you see the look on his face when Juugo carried Hinata through the restaurant? I thought he was going to faint!"

Sasuke's unimpressed look only made Naruto laugh louder; he supposed that he should feel sorry for the waiter, but his reaction was just too funny.

"Remind me to never rely on Hinata's acting skills," Sasuke murmured as Naruto's mirth abated. "As I said yesterday, if you wanted me to take you out to dinner, you should have just asked."

Naruto snorted, and took a swig of his champagne. "Yeah, but this way was more fun for my mum. Hinata seemed to be enjoying herself, too. All that attention that she got at the auction really helped with her shyness."

"Ah, so that's why you went along with this ridiculous scheme." Sasuke took a sip of his champagne.

Naruto drained his glass, and grabbed Hinata's. "I can't see any other reason," he said.

Sasuke's lips twitched in a small grin. "I hope that you realise that I'm not letting you drink drive," he said.

Naruto gave him a sly look. "That is not going to be a problem," he replied. Impulsively, he caught Sasuke's hand and brought it to his lips. For a wonder Sasuke didn't pull away. His dark eyes seemed to glow in the soft lighting.

"I love you," Naruto murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Sasuke's fingers.

Sasuke's face flushed. "Naruto," he began, "I-"

The curtain protecting their privacy was pulled back. Sasuke snatched his hand from Naruto's grasp. They both gaped at the intruder, a man with a violin in his hands.

Sasuke recovered first. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice cold.

"I was hired…you are the winners of the auction?"

"Actually, we're the prize. I'm going to kill my mother."

"Not if I get there first," Sasuke muttered darkly. "The winner got sick; we're just taking advantage of a free meal. And we don't want any music."

The embarrassed musician apologised, and beat a hasty retreat from Sasuke's glare.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I swear I had nothing to do with that. I think that mum just got carried away." Naruto hoped that there were no more Kushina instigated surprises in store for them. Sasuke hated his privacy being invaded; Kushina may as well have wrapped him up and handed him to Sakura on a platter. Now there was a mental image. Though it was better if he got rid of Sakura, and Sasuke was naked.

"I should have made you order frogs legs," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto cursed his mother; the mood was completely ruined now. Sasuke was in irritable mode, and Naruto needed him in fun sexy mode.

Panicking slightly, Naruto said the first thing that came into his head. "I really want a fish wall."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Don't you think it's cool, how they all swim around in the wall like that?"

Sasuke regarded the fish wall. "There's a dead one there," he pointed out, tracing the descent of the sad little fish corpse with his finger. "How do they feed them? Or clean it out?"

Naruto shrugged. He had never really thought about those sorts of things, just how cool it would look. "They probably come with instructions," he said. "Though maybe I could start small, with a sea monkey wall or something."

Sasuke let out a small laugh at that. Naruto beamed. Every laugh he got out of Sasuke felt like an achievement. "What are you going to build up to? Kittens?"

"Oooh, how cute would that be? A kitten wall." The mental image was adorable. The reality possibly not so much.

The waiter arrived with their meals. Naruto was pleased to see that Hinata was right, and what he had ordered was fish and chips. Sasuke's meal looked as elaborate as it had sounded.

They ate in silence for a moment, then Sasuke said; "Today, Sakura made me-"

"Stop," Naruto interrupted. "I've decided that tonight we don't talk about her, or your family or anything like that. It's just you and me."

Sasuke looked at him, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Then he smiled, slowly, like the moon moving out of an eclipse. "Ok," he said. "A night for us."

They clicked their glassed together in a toast.

"I have to know," Sasuke said, his voice low, "what do you have planned for after dinner?"

Naruto took a sip of champagne. "I may have booked us a room," he said. "This is a hotel, after all. Don't worry, Cinderella, I'll get you home by midnight…well, before breakfast."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Naruto calling him Cinderella, but he didn't comment on it. "What about dessert?" He asked.

Naruto snickered. "I know what _I'm_ having," he said, reaching out and running his fingers down Sasuke's arm. He felt Sasuke shudder under his touch, and suddenly wished that they were somewhere more private. He looked into Sasuke's eyes, and saw his thoughts reflected.

"I'm full," Naruto said.

"Me too."

They had barely touched their food.

Naruto grabbed the half full champagne bottle with one hand, and Sasuke's wrist with the other. Sasuke pulled his arm away as Naruto pushed aside the curtain. Naruto quickly found the waiter, and ensured that their meal would be billed to one Kushina Uzumaki. He was going to make sure that the hotel room was in her name, too. It would serve her right for sending in the violinist.

Sasuke attempted to avoid notice as Naruto picked up the keys to their room, despite the fact that the lobby was empty apart from the girl behind the desk, who obviously knew they were their together, and were booking in to a double room. Naruto left him to it. The hotel had a very strict client confidentiality policy. Even if the girl recognised them, she wouldn't say anything; it would cost her her job.

Their room was on the top floor. Naruto gaped as he pushed open the door. He had asked for the room to be prepared, when he had dropped in earlier to drop off some things, but he hadn't imagined anything like this. The large bed; a four poster complete with curtains, was strewn with yellow rose petals. The lights were off, and the room was lit with candles that sat on every available surface. A faint bubbling from the bathroom suggested that the Jacuzzi bath had been switched on.

"Naruto, you do realise that this is the honeymoon suite," Sasuke said from behind him.

"Is it? I just asked them for their best room. Anyway, how can you tell?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sa- I mean, I have been looking at enough pictures of the things recently."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, pleased that Sasuke had censored himself, but a little bit irrationally irritated that he had thought of Sakura.

"Well, if you're sure, we best do this properly," Naruto said.

Before Sasuke could question him, he had grabbed the other man, and swept him up to hold him bridal style. Naruto regretted the impulse almost immediately. He and Sasuke were of similar height and build, and while Sasuke was slim, it was mainly muscle. Sasuke struggling really didn't help. Naruto managed to just get them over the threshold before he half dropped, half fell on Sasuke.

"Idiot!" Sasuke exclaimed, rubbing his hip, "what if someone saw us?"

Naruto got up, sniggering, and checked the corridor before closing and locking the door. "No one's there," he said. "Stop being so paranoid."

He placed the bottle of champagne on the dresser, quite impressed that he hadn't spilled any of it, and reached a hand out to Sasuke, who was still on the floor, glaring up at him. Sasuke ignored the outstretched hand, so Naruto grabbed his wrist and pulled him up. Sasuke obviously wasn't that pissed at him; he allowed Naruto to drag him up, and pull him into a loose embrace.

Naruto moved his hands to cup Sasuke's face, staring into the dark eyes of his lover. Sasuke's slightly parted lips were begging to be kissed, so Naruto took up the invitation, gently pressing his lips against Sasuke's. He felt Sasuke's breath catch as their lips met. Sasuke's mouth opened under his, trying to deepen the kiss, but Naruto was content to press small butterfly kisses to Sasuke's mouth, before trailing his lips across Sasuke's face, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his forehead.

Sasuke let out a frustrated hiss, and grabbed Naruto's head, pulling him down into a forceful kiss; his teeth nipping at Naruto's lips. Naruto knew what Sasuke wanted; he opened his mouth, allowing Sasuke to ravish him with his tongue. His hands began to work on Sasuke's shirt, tugging at the buttons. The tie proved to be the most difficult; Naruto loved how Sasuke could look good in almost anything, but he wished that he would wear a shirt without a tie.

Sasuke wriggled out of Naruto's grasp, and quickly stripped off the tie and shirt. Naruto's hungry gaze took in Sasuke's slender form; he wanted to kiss the toned stomach, bite his way down the sparse trail of dark hair that led from the navel. He wanted to hear Sasuke screaming his name. Naruto grinned, and stripped off his own shirt. He kicked his shoes off, all the while not taking his eyes from Sasuke.

Sasuke carefully slipped his own shoes off, then started to slowly unbuckle his belt. Naruto was unsurprised to see that he wasn't wearing any underwear.

"I want to try out the Jacuzzi," Naruto said.

The tub was outrageously big; there was easily enough room for five people, though why there was a need for a tub big enough for five people in a honeymoon suit was beyond Naruto. Maybe some couples had their bridesmaids join them.

More rose petals were scattered in the water; Naruto was surprised that the heat hadn't wilted them, but when he snagged one, it was to discover that they were fake. Then Sasuke completely took his mind off of the petals; clasping him around the waist and kissing him; their legs tangled together under the water. The caress of the bubbles, while no match for that of Sasuke's fingers running up and down Naruto's back was still pleasant. Naruto felt like he could have spent hours like this, just kissing. His passion was at a simmer, resting below the surface, ready to ignite at the slightest spark from Sasuke.

Sasuke pulled back from the kiss, and nipped at Naruto's chin. "You trying to grow a beard again?" He asked.

"Why? Do you think it would make me look rugged?"

Sasuke snorted, running his damp hands down Naruto's cheeks. "If by rugged you mean ridiculously patchy." He said.

It was true; Naruto had never really tried to grow facial hair exactly, but laziness had led him to leave off shaving for a few weeks. The results had been unfortunate. Apart from patchy stubble, the only place that the hair had really grown was on his cheeks. Sasuke had thought they looked like whiskers, and had laughed every time he saw Naruto until he shaved.

"At least I can grow a beard," Naruto muttered; Uchiha men were notorious for being as bare faced as girls.

Sasuke frowned, and splashed water at Naruto with vengeful accuracy.

Naruto stared at him for a long moment, water dripping down his face, then with a wicked grin, he pounced. He grabbed Sasuke, trying to pull him under the water. The Uchiha proved to be slippery as an eel; he twisted out of Naruto's grasp, splashing him with more water in the process. They splashed and wrestled around the tub, soaking themselves and the floor in the process. Naruto was delighted to hear Sasuke laugh; his heart soared at the sound. Sasuke laughed so rarely that the sound was almost alien. This was what Naruto wanted, Sasuke happy, Sasuke laughing. Sasuke with him. He got a nosefull of water, and almost choked, but it was so worth it.

Finally, he managed to grab Sasuke and pin him to the side of the tub. His black hair was plastered to his head, and a rose petal was stuck to his cheek. His eyes shone. Naruto felt his heart catch in his throat as he realised just how much he loved this man. Sasuke was everything to him, and he would do whatever it took to hold on to him.

Leaning in, Naruto placed a searing kiss on Sasuke's lips. Sasuke let out a little murmur, and his arms wrapped around Naruto, holding him close.

Large fluffy white towels had been left beside the tub. They had been soaked as much as the rest of the room, but they still managed to dry themselves. Naruto took Sasuke by the hand, and led him to the bed. They sank onto the mattress, exchanging kisses and caresses. Naruto rolled Sasuke onto his stomach, and took a bottle from the draw next to the bed. Sasuke watched him, apparently content to let Naruto take the lead.

Naruto straddled Sasuke's hips, and poured some of the oil into his hands. It warmed as he rubbed them together. He applied it to Sasuke's back in long, slow strokes, feeling the muscles relax under his hands.

Sasuke let out a small groan. "You're going to put me to sleep," he said.

"I doubt that," Naruto replied, leaning down and catching Sasuke's ear lobe in his mouth. He kissed the side of Sasuke's neck, before sitting back up. He slid backwards, so he could run his hands across Sasuke's buttocks. The oil and candle light made Sasuke's skin glow, as if he were some sort of ethereal being, come down to earth.

Naruto parted Sasuke's ass cheeks, one palm placed firmly on each buttock, exposing the slightly darker flesh of Sasuke's anus. He dipped his head, and ran his tongue down the crease, swirling at the tight entrance with a teasing flick before pressing the flat against the perineum. Sasuke moaned and arched his back, pressing his ass against Naruto's face.

Naruto grinned to himself at how eager Sasuke was. He swirled his tongue against the smooth flesh of Sasuke's perineum, before moving higher. He kissed Sasuke's opening as if it were his mouth, teasing with lips before grazing lightly with teeth, and finally plunging his tongue deep inside. The taste was musky and bitter and completely Sasuke. Naruto loved it; he loved the soft mewling gasps that Sasuke was making. His cock hardened in response, leaking and desperate to be buried in that tight heat.

With one last tender kiss to Sasuke's hole, Naruto released his buttocks, and grabbed the oil again. He dribbled it directly on to Sasuke's ass, watching it stream down his crease, heading for his hole. Naruto used the pads of two fingers to massage the oil around Sasuke's pucker, occasionally slipping the tip of one in. his other hand, still slick from the massage, he wrapped around his dick. The way the oil heated with the friction had him aching.

Naruto lay himself down on top of Sasuke, the head of his cock resting in the crease of Sasuke's ass. Sasuke lay with his head twisted to one side, his dark eyes dilated with lust. He stared at Naruto, naked need written on his face. It almost undid Naruto. With a sobbing moan, he sunk into Sasuke. The other man was so relaxed there was no resistance. Naruto slipped into Sasuke in one smooth thrust that had their balls resting together. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands, twining their fingers together. He pressed a line of kisses against Sasuke's neck as he began to move, a slow rocking of his hips that had them both moaning.

"Na...Naruto," Sasuke gasped, "more, please."

Naruto shifted, making his thrusts harder and deeper. Sasuke let out a long, low moan, arching his back and meeting Naruto's thrusts. Sasuke's tight, hot ass gripping his cock tightly as always threatened to take away Naruto's sanity. The oil and his pre-come made the friction bearable, but nothing could take away from the tightness, how Sasuke clamped down on him with each thrust in, making sparks of bliss course down his length as he dragged it back out. Sasuke disentangled the fingers of one hand to grab Naruto's head, and pull him into an awkward kiss.

Naruto's balls ached with his impending orgasm. As always, sex with Sasuke was just too good. With a groan he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, and sat back on his heels, pulling Sasuke up with him. Sasuke let out a cry of surprise that turned into a deep moan as Naruto's cock sank deeper inside him. Sasuke tipped his head back, resting it on Naruto's shoulder. His breath was coming in gasps.

Naruto wrapped his fist around Sasuke's leaking cock; a few quick thrusts, which he echoed with tugs on Sasuke's cock, and they were coming together, Sasuke's twitching ass milking Naruto's cock as Sasuke's come scattered over his chest and the duvet, mixing with the scattered rose petals.

Naruto somehow managed to lower them onto the bed without collapsing on top of Sasuke. His spent dick slipped out of Sasuke's ass as they lay down, and Sasuke spun around to face him. His eyes were heavily lidded with a cat like contentment.

"Mmm, I've been wanting to do that all day," Sasuke murmured, slipping one leg between Naruto's. He reached out, and twisted a strand of damp blond hair around his finger.

"So, do you always fuck on the first date?" Naruto asked with a snicker.

"Only if my date's a sexy blonde who knows how to fuck me senseless. I guess you just got very lucky. I must have felt sorry for you or something."

"Yeah, well I pity fucked you too," Naruto replied, stroking a finger down Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke turned his head and caught the finger in his mouth, sucking on it briefly. Naruto's cock twitched, suddenly paying attention. He pulled his finger out of Sasuke's mouth and kissed him, deep and hard, tongues tangling together.

"I pity fucked you first," Sasuke said, slightly breathless.

Naruto let out a snort of laughter. "You always have to have the last word," he said.

Sasuke stuck out his tongue. Naruto took that as an invitation, and drew it into his mouth for another long kiss.

"You know," Naruto said, draping his arm over Sasuke, "we never talk about sex. Even now we're doing it, we don't talk about it."

"Possibly because we're too busy doing it. Anyway, what is there to talk about?"

"Likes, dislikes, fantasies. Hey, Sasuke, why don't you tell me your biggest, darkest fantasy? I bet it's kinky." Naruto said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but a pink flush lit his cheeks. Naruto was instantly intrigued.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Naruto said, suddenly desperate to know. "Come on Sasuke, what is the one thing you're just dying to do?"

"You go first," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto grinned. "Ok, I would love to tie you up, make you beg, tease you until you scream out my name."

Sasuke let out a small snicker; "and you thought I'd be kinky? Are we talking chains, or straps?"

"Hmm, bit of both, I guess. And toys. I'd love to see you hard and desperate and spread out for me."

The idea was becoming more and more compelling as they spoke about it. Especially since Sasuke didn't seem to be against the thought of letting Naruto tie him up. However, Naruto wasn't being entirely honest. As much as he wanted to try a bit of bondage with Sasuke, there was one thing he wanted more. He would never say it though, and certainly never do it, not while Sasuke was still intent on marrying Sakura. Number two would have to do for now, because he really, really wanted to know Sasuke's fantasy. He hoped that it was something Sakura would never be able to do for him. It would be another subtle push that moved him closer to Naruto.

"Ok, your turn," Naruto said.

Sasuke closed his eyes, the flush returning to his face. "It's not what you think," he said, "it's not a kinky fantasy or anything like that, it's just…I've never topped; I've never wanted to. I like the power of being fucked, of bending over and letting some guy stick his dick in me. Because I know I've got him where I want him. I'm in control. Most guys I guess see bottoming as letting themselves become vulnerable. I don't; even when I let go, I know that the pleasure the other guy is feeling is coming from me; I'm making him feel that. To me, the top is the much more vulnerable position. And the only person I would ever want to do that with is you. My fantasy is to fuck you, Naruto."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, momentarily made dumb by the irony. Then the meaning behind his words slowly became clear. "Only me?" He asked, his voice soft.

"Only you. I swear, Naruto only ever you."

Naruto smiled, surprised to find tears forming behind his eyes. "I love you, too." He said, pressing their foreheads together. Sasuke smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter sort of ran away with me; I could have kept on going, but I feel that the ending suited :)**

**As always, thanks to all the reviewers; your words motivate me to keep on with this story, to the point where I have been getting home from work, eating, and then writing till I have to sleep. And to all who are curious as to Naruto's number one fantasy...it will be revealed before the end :D. I'm not planning on leaving anything unanswered.**

**Usual disclaimers apply ;)**

Chapter Seven

_July 4__th__ – 2 months and 11 days to the wedding_

Sasuke stared at his phone, then at his watch, then back to the phone. It was 2:30; surely there should be some news by now. He let out a soft hiss of frustration. He tore his eyes away from his phone, belatedly realising that something was different. He looked up to find Sakura's green eyes fixed on him. She had stopped talking, he realised, and was waiting for a response. Sasuke desperately tried to think about what she had been saying; the last time that he had just agreed with her, he later found out that he had agreed to a bloody horse drawn carriage from the church. No way was he letting that happen again.

"You weren't listening to a word I've been saying," Sakura exclaimed as the silence stretched between them.

"Sorry," Sasuke said, "I've been waiting on a call."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I thought that your father gave you the day off to sort wedding things," she said. "As I was saying, you really need to sort out the seating plan on your side of the church. If we don't get the invitations out now, we won't have any guests."

She pushed the large diagram in front of her across the table. Sasuke took it with a martyred sigh, glancing down. Sakura's side was full, colour coded for friends and family. His side…was mainly family. A church crammed full with Uchihas; how fun. Sakura tapped her pen on the empty rows.

"Come on, Sasuke; you must have some friends you want to invite."

Sasuke sighed again; two seats were filled, one for Kushina, one for Minato. Though Kushina was more his mother's friend than his. Neji and Hinata would be sat with the other Hyuugas; though again, Hinata was Naruto's friend, and Neji was Itachi's. Sakura obviously would be at the front with him, and Naruto as the best man would be there too. Sasuke hadn't really kept in contact with any of his university friends. Not that they were ever really his friends. He spent a lot of time around Naruto, and people crowded around Naruto like bees to nectar. He had no work mates or colleagues, only employees.

He supposed that Naruto could help him pad his side out a little, but he was loath to ask him; ever since the hotel last week, they had settled into an unspoken agreement where neither of them mentioned the wedding, or Sakura. It was surprisingly nice; between them they had built up a fantasy, a little glass bubble where they could live together in contentment. Sasuke really didn't want to shatter it. They didn't fight as much; they still fought, but not as much as they had been. It did make life a bit awkward, since most grooms to be did consult the best man on wedding things, though they did also inform the best man of his role. Sasuke supposed that he would have to broach the subject eventually, but he cherished the contentment he found with Naruto, and didn't want to destroy it.

They had spent the week working on Naruto's latest project, a proposal for an ad campaign. Sasuke remembered how adorable Naruto looked as his face fell when Sasuke told him that he would need to include a budget in his proposal. That was when he had agreed to help out. He had found himself getting quite involved. Maybe he had missed his calling. The Uchiha did not deal directly in advertising, though they were main share holders in several large companies. A small dream took root in Sasuke's mind, one that he didn't share with anyone, not even Naruto. What if he could start his own business, with Naruto as a partner? They would start small, and do a lot of the work themselves. It would mean long hours, but Sasuke had never minded working. Sometimes, with all the dinners, and social events, and now wedding planning, he felt like he was stagnating. It was a nice dream. If he wasn't the heir. He had too many responsibilities to concentrate on just one small business.

It didn't stop him from wishing, though, when it was just him and Naruto, that this was the way his life was. He glanced down at his phone again. Today, Naruto would be presenting his proposal to Minato. He had promised Sasuke that he would call when he was done, and let him know how it had gone. So far, he had heard nothing from Naruto all day.

His eyes flicked to Sakura's side of the seating plan. Once they had sorted the church, they would need to do the tables for the reception. Sasuke felt like crying at that thought. The guest list for the reception was more than double that of the ceremony. It included foreign dignitaries, some of whom did not get on. As far as Sasuke was concerned, they could just all sit at one table together, and work out their issues. No one else seemed to agree with him, though. He thought Naruto would, but as they were not talking about the wedding he hadn't been able to ask him about it.

His eyes scanned the unfamiliar names on Sakura's seating plan. There were more friends than family, and he didn't recognise any of them. A small frown creased his brows.

"Isn't that Gaara guy coming?" He asked. "He was helping you with stuff, wasn't he?"

For some reason Sakura flushed. She had recently added more pink to her hair, and the blush clashed horribly with it. "Well, he's…an atheist," she said with a watery smile.

"So? I'm an atheist, and I'm going to be there."

Sakura frowned. "I thought they wouldn't let you have a church wedding if you weren't baptised," she said.

Sasuke snorted. "Being splashed with water doesn't make you believe in god," he said. "My father had a church wedding, too, and I'm pretty sure he only worships money. It doesn't matter; Uchiha's always have big, church weddings. You should invite him, anyway."

"Ok," Sakura replied, though she didn't look particularly thrilled about the idea. Sasuke wondered if they had fought over anything. He shrugged it off. He didn't particularly care if the hostile red head came or not. If it was up to him, they would have a small ceremony, with a few witnesses, then just go back to the Uchiha mansion and continue the way they had before. But as Naruto had seemed to delight in telling him before they stopped talking about the wedding, that wasn't going to happen.

"Now we really need to-"

She was interrupted by Chesney Hawks' _The One and Only_. Sasuke felt his face heat, and Sakura gave him a strange look. Naruto had taken to changing Sasuke's ringtone whenever he could get his hands on his phone. He had once programmed it to play _Who let the Dogs out_ when Sakura called. It really seemed to amuse the little idiot for some reason.

Sasuke glanced down at his phone; it was Naruto.

"I have to take this," he said, standing up and exiting the room before answering the phone.

"Naruto?"

"Hello, sexy," Naruto's voice purred.

Sasuke found himself smiling. "How did it go?" He asked. "I thought you'd call hours ago."

Naruto laughed. Sasuke could picture his blue eyes shining, and he wished that he was there, so he could touch him.

"He loved it," Naruto said. "He really liked that thing with the graphs, where we compared the target demo…demothingy with the different media sources."

"Demographic."

"Yeah, that. And the radio advert. Though I think that's because I said that we'd do that ourselves. He's really tight. He thought we budgeted too high on a few things."

"Yeah, but that's because we did. With a proposal budget, you put in your ideal amount. It was always going to be knocked down."

"He's still given me the go ahead, though. You'll still help out?"

"Of course I will." Sasuke said. "We should celebrate."

"Oooh, what do you have in mind?"

Sasuke grinned. "It's a surprise," he said. "But when you come to dinner tonight, make sure you bring something sexy to wear later."

"Hmmm, Ok. Hey, Sasuke, who's going to be there tonight?"

Sasuke frowned at the odd question. "Umm, usual people, I guess. Wait, there's going to be a few senior managers from the new architectural firm father just brought out. That's why mother is hosting on a Monday. Why?"

"No reason. I gotta go, see you tonight."

"Bye."

Sasuke glanced down at his watch. 2:45. Still hours until dinner. He didn't know how much more of this wedding crap he could take; he wondered if Sakura would notice if he snuck off now. He slipped his phone into his pocket, and headed for the stairs.

"Sasuke, where are you going?"

Damn. "To the toilet."

"Oh, ok. When you get back, we can go over the song selection." Sakura beamed at him. Sasuke suppressed a groan.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke settled in his usual chair, surprised at how many places were set for dinner that evening. Surely this new company didn't have that many managers. Sakura sat beside him, grasping his hand. Gritting his teeth, he bore it, fighting the urge to snatch his hand away. Hinata dashed in, looking flushed. When she realised she wasn't late, she slowed down, her blush deepening as she took her seat opposite Sakura. Hinata had been spending a lot of time at the Uchiha mansion recently.

Neji and Itachi entered, Itachi actually walking, though he was leaning on Neji. Naruto entered with Kushina and Minato. He shot Sasuke a smile that made his heart pound, and took his seat next to Hinata. He ignored Sakura. Mikoto entered with quite a few Uchiha in tow; far more than normal. Sasuke wondered what the occasion was. Cousins were a regular feature at Mikoto's dinners, but never more than five or six at a time, and normally the board members who were there to discuss things with Fugaku, and just happened to be there late enough to stay for dinner.

An unfamiliar woman, her brown hair tied in two buns on top of her head, sat down next to Mikoto. As Fugaku led in the Architectural Managers, Mikoto stood.

"Greetings, friends and business partners," she said, "I want to introduce you all to Tenten. She's a journalist for _Gossip_ Magazine, and she's here to do an article on me. I thought it would be nice if she attended one of my dinners as part of her research."

There was a polite chorus of hellos

"We should see if she wants to do the media coverage for the wedding," Sakura hissed in Sasuke's ear. Sasuke suppressed a shudder at the thought.

Naruto got to his feet. He looked a little nervous for some reason, and it put Sasuke on instant alert. Naruto very rarely got nervous.

"Before we begin, I have an announcement to make," Naruto said.

Sasuke quickly scanned the guests for reaction. The words were so close to Sakura's when she had announced the date for the wedding that they gave him chills. Kushina was grinning openly; Mikoto looked nervous. Fugaku looked slightly irked.

"Oooh, congratulations, Hinata!" Sakura squealed.

Naruto shot her an irritated look. "Not that sort of announcement," he said. "Not everything has to do with weddings, you know. I'm gay. I just thought you all should know."

He sat down, and nonchalantly took a sip of water, just as if he hadn't dropped that bombshell in a room consisting of mainly strangers. And a journalist. Sasuke wanted to cry. Then strangle him, and maybe cry some more.

Kushina jumped to her feet in the stunned silence, and began paddling her hands together wildly. "Well done, peanut, Mummy's so proud of you," she exclaimed.

Minato, Hinata and Mikoto joined in the applause, albeit a bit more reserved than Kushina. A few cousins did to, before Fugaku shot them a withering look.

Sasuke contemplated drowning himself in the punch bowl in the centre of the table. Or maybe Naruto. Or, thinking about it, maybe Kushina. He was sure that the wide eyed reporter, who was eagerly recording this piece of human drama, was her idea.

Sasuke suddenly realised that people were beginning to stare at him. Of course, he was Naruto's best friend. They all wanted to see how he would react. Perfect. He forced a grin onto his face.

"Thank you for sharing that with us Naruto. Could we maybe serve the first course?"

A few people looked disappointed, as if they expected a larger reaction out of him. Sasuke was seething inside, but he wasn't going to make things worse with a public spectacle.

As the soup course was served, most people seemed content to let Naruto's declaration pass, and concentrate on their meal. Unfortunately, Sakura couldn't let it lie.

"So, how long have you been gay?" She asked, flicking a pointed look at Hinata.

Naruto either failed to see the trap, or didn't care. "All my life," he said. "It's not something that you just wake up and realise, you know. Any gay man or woman who tells you otherwise is lying. You always know. Some people just prefer to lie to themselves, but I got sick of it."

"Poor Hinata," Sakura murmured. "It must be awful for you, to be lied to like that."

"Oh, no. I was only…uh…I got over it," Hinata said, before turning her full attention to her soup.

"I couldn't!" Sakura exclaimed. "I would be devastated and embarrassed if I was in your position, Hinata. Though I suppose it is better that Naruto decided to come clean before he married you. Imagine how much more awful it would be if you had kids."

Sasuke tried very hard not to cringe.

"Yeah, no one can live a lie like that forever," Naruto said casually. "And I did tell Hinata first, I'm not that cruel. We've been broken up for a few weeks. I just couldn't bear the lies anymore."

He smiled at Sakura. It was an awful smile to see on Naruto's normally sunny face, because his eyes were ice cold. They briefly flicked to Sasuke before resting on Sakura again. As far as Sasuke was concerned, the dinner couldn't end soon enough.

"Oh," Sakura said. Then; "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Sasuke groaned. She was like a dog with a bone.

Naruto's smile turned evil. And for a split second Sasuke's heart stopped as he thought Naruto was going to tell Sakura about them.

"Not yet," Naruto said. "There's someone I like, but I don't think he's ready to commit to me."

Sakura made a sound of sympathy, and Sasuke found himself wondering why he felt disappointed.

"Well, I hope it works out for you," Sakura said, placing a hand on Naruto's arm.

Naruto grinned at her. "Me too," he said.

Sasuke really needed to get them away from each other before Naruto said something that got Sakura thinking. He swirled his spoon in his soup, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything.

He got to his feet, "I'm not feeling too well; may I be excused?"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow, but nodded. The reporter watched him with lidded eyes.

Naruto leapt to his feet. "Do you need a hand?"

Sasuke shot him a glare, and for a second considered saying no. But the reporter's eyes were on him, and he could see the headlines about the homophobic Uchiha heir.

He nodded; it was only when they were out of the dining room that he realised that another conclusion could be reached by Naruto leaving with him; what if she guessed the truth? What if his father guessed the truth? Sasuke felt like he was going to vomit. He pushed the hand Naruto held out to him away, and stalked up the stairs. Naruto followed him; he could feel his anger rising, thumping at his temple, mixing with the nausea.

He held it in until they reached his room. Once the door shut behind Naruto he spun to face him. "What the hell were you thinking?" He demanded.

Naruto didn't react to his anger. "I didn't want to lie any more. Don't worry, Sasuke. Your secret's safe with me, but I will not hide who I am any longer."

"Don't you get it? People will find out; now they know about you, they'll start noticing all the time I spend around you. What happens then, Naruto? What happens when Sakura mentions how odd it is that I'm always with you? I'll have to avoid you to calm any suspicions." That was a thought that did not appeal.

Naruto snorted. "Avoiding me will just make you look more suspicious, not less."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Sasuke's voice sounded shrill and strange to his ears.

Naruto looked at him silently for a long moment. "Go back downstairs," he said, "tell the truth. Let them gossip about us, I don't care."

"I can't," Sasuke said. He glared at Naruto, giving his anger full reign. That way, he didn't need to feel the pain. Naruto had shattered their contentment, and taken away Sasuke's piece of mind. "You know why I can't, you know why no one can know, yet you-"

"God, why are you always so selfish? This isn't about you, Sasuke. It's about me. It's my life, and it's my decision whether I'm honest about my sexuality or not. It has nothing to do with you."

Naruto's words felt like a punch to the gut. "In that case, who I marry has nothing to do with you, so why don't you just get off my back about it," he snarled, throwing the hurt back at Naruto, and regretting it instantly.

"Because it's wrong!"

"And your way is right?" Sasuke groped for his anger, feeling it slipping through his fingers. Bitterness remained as he continued; "well, lucky you; your dad doesn't care if you follow in his footsteps or not; you can do whatever you want. My family is not like yours. We have a heritage to live up to, we go back generations, and I will not drop the torch that has been passed to me."

"Even if it burns you?" Naruto's eyes shone with anger and pain, and Sasuke didn't know which one was worse. He didn't want to fight, didn't want to hurt Naruto, but he didn't have the words to stop it." I know you Sasuke," Naruto continued, "better than anyone. Better than her. You hate being the heir, you hate having to attend your father's board meetings, and all the different high class functions. "

Sasuke was horrified to find tears burning the back of his eyes. "What I want doesn't matter, it's my destiny. My heritage. Only I can be the heir."

"Fuck that," Naruto spat. "Fuck destiny, fuck heritage, and fuck Fugaku shitty Uchiha. You make your own destiny, not what your dad says. Saying that you can't, denying me, denying us, just means that you're too weak and scared to take the chance and fight. Shit, this is why I didn't want to talk about this stuff." Naruto sat down on Sasuke's bed, his head buried in his hands. "Don't say anything," he said, "I don't want to hear it."

Sasuke felt to numb to say anything. He sat down next to Naruto on the bed, and grasped his hand, gripping on tightly. His head whirled; in his mind, he was playing out a scenario where he strode downstairs, and told his father that he was running away with Naruto, and starting his own business separate from Uchiha. It was a nice dream, quickly followed by a nightmare, as Fugaku fought dirty, used his power to ensure they had no custom. He saw the business flounder and fail under the might of the Uchiha; he saw himself and Naruto destitute, the Hokage name ripped from Minato's hands, Kushina framed and thrown into jail.

"I am scared," Sasuke said, "but not how you think. I think I would be ok if the risk was to me, but I can't bear him hurting you. If I defied him, and ran off with you he would take his revenge against you and your family. I would still end up marrying Sakura, but I wouldn't have you. I would have to live without you, and I can't-" He broke off as the tears escaped his control.

"Damn you for a stubborn, negative bastard." Naruto hissed. "I should leave you; I should just turn, and go and not look back; move out of the country and forget you."

He pulled Sasuke into a tight embrace; Sasuke clung to him, burying his head in Naruto's shoulder.

"Why don't you?" Sasuke found himself saying.

"Because I can't," Naruto's tone was bitter.

"Doesn't matter. Even if you did leave me, I'd come and get you back."

"Why?"

There was a test in that question, Sasuke knew. Naruto knew why, but he wanted to hear it. Sasuke supposed that he should give him that much, but the words always tangled on his tongue.

"Because I love you," once said, he could never unsay it, but his heart felt easier all the same. Naruto's arms tightened around him.

"Yet you're still marrying her." Naruto's voice was hollow.

"I have no choice."

"You always have a choice, Sasuke."

"Fine, then this is my best option. I sacrifice myself to keep you safe."

"You are so melodramatic. Your dad doesn't care that I'm gay. He probably wouldn't care that you are, as long as you give him an heir. And like I have said before, there are ways around that."

"Don't," Sasuke whispered.

"Don't what?"

Sasuke didn't answer; he had said more than enough. He buried his head in Naruto's shoulder. He couldn't let himself hope; life was cold and unfair, all he needed to do was look to Itachi to see that. If he let himself be drawn in to Naruto's fantasy far enough to actually believe it, when it all came crashing down, he would be lost. He had liked the glass bubble; it was a beautiful dream, but he had always been aware that it was a dream. Longing was alright, wishing was ok, but to believe it could be possible? He couldn't; he couldn't survive the failure. Naruto was right, he was scared. He hated to admit it, but in the depths of his soul he knew it to be true. He would rather have some of what he wanted, rather than risk everything. And he knew, no matter how much Naruto fought it, he would accept some, if that's all it could ever be.

Sasuke placed a kiss against Naruto's neck. He knew he could fuck Naruto into submission if he wanted, but he didn't want sex; he wanted to be held. He wanted to feel Naruto's warmth.

Naruto seemed to know, the way he always did. He let out a sigh, and stopped pushing.

Sasuke didn't know how long they remained like that, just wrapped in each other's arms; not speaking, kissing, caressing, just holding, and being. He could feel Naruto's heart pounding against his, a gentle rhythm that was echoed by his own heart.

A pounding on the door brought them back to reality.

"Sasuke, how are you feeling?" Sakura called through the door. Ironically, Sasuke was pretty sure it was unlocked. Habit had made her knock, rather than try to get in.

"You don't want to come in here, Sakura," Naruto called out, "I think he has a stomach bug; there's stuff coming from both ends."

"Oh…Ok. Tell him I'll check back in the morning."

"Will do." He waited for her to go before adding, "shows how much she loves you; she won't even nurse you through a stomach bug."

"Frankly, that's something I'm relived about." Sasuke pulled away from Naruto with a small sigh. He had found his equilibrium again, but part of him was still raw.

"I'd nurse you through the nastiest diseases," Naruto declared, grinning.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, taking comfort in the banter.

"I really would," Naruto insisted. "And when you're old and senile, I'll wipe your drool, and change your nappy."

"We're the same age; you'll probably be drooling next to me, moron."

Naruto laughed. Then his eyes turned deadly serious. "It will be me next to you when you're all old and wrinkled, not her. And I'll still love you."

Sasuke stared at him, suddenly choked by the emotion in those blue eyes. "Forever," he murmured, pulling Naruto into a kiss.

"So am I forgiven?" Naruto asked playfully.

"Grudgingly." Sasuke stood up and stretched. "I don't know why you didn't tell me what you were going to do. I almost choked. And that reporter will have the news all over town."

Naruto shrugged. "I think its better this way. I'm sorry for making you freak out. Though it was pretty funny." Naruto let out a snort of laughter. "I thought you would have a heart attack when Sakura started asking questions."

Sasuke hit him over the head with a pillow. "That's because I almost did."

Naruto snatched the pillow out of Sasuke's hands, and hit him back. Sasuke had several pillows on his bed; he grabbed another one, and set up a counter attack. Naruto giggled, flailing around with his pillow as Sasuke scored a few good hits to his head. Then Naruto grasped Sasuke's pillow, using his own to swipe at Sasuke. Sasuke tried to pull his pillow back; there was a loud tearing noise, and suddenly the room was full of feathers.

Naruto's laughter turned to coughing as one of them got stuck in his throat. He managed to get the soggy feather out, before lunging at Sasuke, pinning him down and tickling him. Sasuke found himself giggling like a girl, batting at Naruto's hands, which seemed to be everywhere all at once. Finally, when he was red faced and gasping for breath, Naruto leaned in with a soft smile, and kissed him. Sasuke slipped his arms around Naruto, hooking a leg around his hips for good measure. He kissed him back open mouthed, his tongue delving into Naruto's mouth, seeking out its partner.

"Yeah, he looks ill."

Naruto pulled away from Sasuke with a gasp at the sound of Kushina's voice.

Sasuke let out a groan, wishing that the floor would suck him in; the stupid door was still unlocked. Kushina was stood in the doorway, flanked by Mikoto and Hinata. The two dark haired women were blushing. Kushina, as always, had no shame. Sasuke supposed that he should be glad that they had only been kissing, but he couldn't find it in himself to feel particularly glad. He had figured that Naruto was right about his mother knowing about them after the whole auction thing, but he had preferred to not bring it up in conversation with her. Mikoto apparently felt the same; having your mother find you in a sexual situation was always going to be awkward, but Sasuke somehow felt that this was particularly bad.

"Since Naruto didn't come back downstairs, we came to check that you weren't trying to kill each other," Kushina said.

"How long have you been there?" Naruto asked.

"Long enough to see how ticklish Sasuke is," Kushina said with an evil grin.

Sasuke groaned.

"Mum, please go," Naruto said. "It's really creepy having you watching us. Really creepy."

Kushina pouted; Sasuke was pretty sure that she was doing it to irritate Naruto. Thankfully, his own mother had a bit more discretion. She pulled Kushina out of the doorway, followed by a crimson cheeked Hinata.

"Please make sure you clean up all those feathers," Mikoto said, shutting the door behind her.

Naruto flopped onto his back beside Sasuke with a groan. "I'm sure my mum is a bad influence on Hinata," he said. "Should I keep them apart?"

"I doubt that anyone could keep your mother from something she wanted," Sasuke replied.

"Hmm, yeah. She is a bit of a role model for me," Naruto said with a grin. "You know, earlier you said that we would celebrate, and it would be a surprise. I want my surprise."

Sasuke had completely forgotten, what with the memorable dinner. He gave Naruto a knowing look. "I want to go dancing," he said, turning onto his side. He plucked a feather from Naruto's hair, before pushing himself to his feet. "We've not done that before; it would be nice." He locked the door, just in case anyone else decided to come visiting.

"You did bring something sexy to wear like I asked?"

"It's in the car," Naruto replied, his eyes shining.

"Go and get ready, and meet me by the fountain," Sasuke said.

It was 8:30, and still light out, but he found that he didn't care. The only person who really spent any time in the gardens was Itachi, and he wouldn't say anything if he saw them. Sasuke felt like he had been put through the wringer the last few hours; he felt stretched out, weakened. He needed the release, the feel of the beat running up from the soles of his feet through his body. And with Naruto there it would be perfect.

He watched Naruto slip out of the window, before spinning around and grabbing the clothes he had chosen earlier. He showered quickly, before dressing; tight leather trousers in a shade of purple so dark that it was practically black, knee high boots, and a tight black shirt with silver thread running through it. He fluffed his hair up at the back, and quickly lined his eyes with kohl. Sasuke Uchiha the soon to be married heir was gone; he felt more himself than he had for weeks.

He grabbed his wallet and a few small packets of lube, and slipped them into his back pocket. This time, he was going out with Naruto. He didn't need to find a stranger; the man he loved would be there with him. Sasuke grinned as he climbed out of the window.

Naruto was waiting by the fountain. He looked positively edible, in tight black jeans, ankle boots covered in buckles, and nothing else. The sunlight glistened on his bare skin, making him shine. Sasuke shuddered as a wave of pure lust washed over him. For a moment he considered dragging Naruto back to his room, pinning him down and impaling himself on his cock, riding him hard and fast until they both came. He shook off the urge. Dancing first; he would forget everything for a brief while. Tomorrow would be soon enough to worry about any implications from Naruto's revelation.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke parked with no hesitation. His resolve was strong this time. They entered the club hand in hand. Sasuke had long since stopped worrying about anyone recognising him there. Most of them were too busy worrying about their own anonymity to pay any attention to him.

Sasuke leaned close to Naruto to whisper in his ear; "upstairs or downstairs?" he flicked his tongue against the shell of his lover's ear before retreating.

Naruto smiled at him. "The place where we first fucked. How romantic. Upstairs, I think."

The smaller dance floor was surprisingly crowded for a week night; over half the dancer's had obscured their faces with masks. The music playing was dark and heavy with bass. The dancers moved as if entranced, and a smoke machine in the corner turned the air hazy.

Sasuke led Naruto onto the dance floor, pressing close to him and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, digging his fingers into bare flesh as the beat caught him. Naruto's hands cupped his hips, pulling their groins together. Sasuke stared into Naruto's eyes, the familiar feeling of drowning taking him over. Sasuke let it, allowing himself to sink deep.

"I take it you have more than dancing on your mind," Naruto murmured, trailing kisses down Sasuke's throat. Sasuke tipped his head back, loving the feel of Naruto's lips on his skin.

"Maybe," he replied, trailing his hands down Naruto's back and cupping his ass. Naruto spun him around, so his back was pressed to Naruto's chest. He could feel Naruto's breath on his neck, as his mouth continued to explore with lips, teeth and tongue. He could feel Naruto's cock, pressing against his ass. He felt it harden as he ground against it, and his own member began to fill in response. One of Naruto's hands remained on his hip, the other explored up his shirt, caressing, pinching at a nipple, stroking its way back down. Sasuke shuddered, and let out a small sigh. Naruto was driving him wild, and he hadn't even gone anywhere near his cock yet.

Naruto released him, and stepped back; Sasuke let out a soft gasp at being suddenly left hanging. He turned to face the blond, to see a strange light in his eyes.

"Wait here," Naruto yelled over the music.

He darted off before Sasuke could say anything. Normally, Sasuke would have been fine on his own; he had prowled the dance floor countless times, looking for a Naruto substitute. Now, though he felt horribly exposed. He turned to go and find a corner to wait in, when strong arms wrapped around him, and a hand cupped his dick. _Not Naruto_ his instincts kicked in. Sasuke stamped hard on the foot of the guy behind him. It didn't have much effect; he was probably wearing boots with steel toe caps. Sasuke used his elbows instead, digging them into the guy's ribs. He backed away with a curse.

Sasuke turned to glare at his would be suitor. Possibly he would have been interested before Naruto; the man was blond, though he had green eyes. Those eyes were fixed on Sasuke, an injured look playing on his face.

"I only wanted to dance," the man said, "since you were so slutty for that other guy, I figured-"

Sasuke saw red. "That other guy was my boyfriend," he snapped.

"Besides, I only left for a minute. Don't go trying to steal from other guys; that's just rude." Naruto appeared, wrapping his arms around Sasuke possessively, his chin resting on Sasuke's shoulder.

The green eyed guy sneered, and sunk back into the writhing mass of bodies.

"Boyfriend?" Naruto said into Sasuke's ear. "You're pretty greedy, having a fiancée and a boyfriend." But he sounded pleased, and he placed a kiss on Sasuke's cheek before letting him go. He held up a key, shaking it so it caught the lights. "Come on," Naruto said, a wicked grin on his face. "I'm bored of dancing."

Sasuke had wanted to dance some more, but the green eyed guy had put him off. He let Naruto lead him through the back door, and down the corridor. They took another flight of steps, up to the third floor, with another corridor, and more rooms. The rooms weren't sound proofed, and sounds of sex echoed through the corridor; moans, and grunts. The thwack of flesh against flesh, the sound of something harder against flesh, the clinking of chains.

Naruto finally found the door he wanted, and pushed it open. Sasuke followed him in, remembering their talk of fantasies. They hadn't spoken of it since, something that Sasuke was actually quite glad of; a moment of weakness had had him telling the truth, instead of fixing on something less revealing. But now he remembered Naruto's words, and it made his cock ache with need.

He watched as Naruto locked the door behind them, and turned on the light, illuminating the gloom. There was a bed to one side of the room; the sheets tatty and old, but clean. To the other side of the room, two large poles were set in diagonal lines from floor to ceiling, making an X shape. Next to it was a rack containing a selection of pretty much everything from whips to dildos.

"Do you trust me?" Naruto asked, his voice soft. "It's up to you; we can use the bed if you want."

"Sasuke swallowed. "I trust you," he said. He had never tried any sort of bondage before, though he had wanted to. He had control issues, he was quite aware of it, and prior to Naruto, all the guys he had slept with had been one night only deals. This was different; this was Naruto. With Naruto, he could let himself go. Besides, he felt like he needed to give this to Naruto; he wanted to make him happy.

Naruto grabbed him by the shoulders, and pulled him in to a hungry kiss. Sasuke fought the urge to take control of the kiss, and instead relaxed into it, moving his lips and tongue with Naruto. It was like a dance, and Naruto was leading it. When Naruto broke the kiss, they were both breathless.

"Strip," Naruto said. The command in his voice sent a shudder through Sasuke. He did as he was told, unbuckling and pulling off his boots first, followed by his shirt. Naruto watched, his eyes lidded. The look went straight to Sasuke's cock. He fumbled with the zipper of his trousers, somehow managing to get it down.

Once he was naked, Naruto guided him to the cross. The shackles were leather, and adjustable. Naruto buckled his wrists above his head, before crouching down to fasten his ankles. The centre of the cross rested in the small of Sasuke's back, leaving his ass exposed. He had never felt this vulnerable; his heart was pounding as Naruto took a step back, his eyes raking Sasuke's body.

"Perfect," Naruto purred.

"You do know what you're doing, don't you?" Sasuke said, possibly a bit late, since he was already bound. The thought of Naruto doing this with anyone else curdled his lust, but at the same time…

"I've seen some pretty hard core porn," Naruto said with a small shrug. "But to answer your very round about question; no, I have not done this with anyone else. You're just going to have to trust me, Sasuke." His grin was particularly evil, and Sasuke was suddenly very worried.

Naruto vanished behind him. Sasuke tried to crane his neck to see what Naruto was doing, but it was no good. A sudden hand trailing down his back had him almost jumping out of his skin. Naruto laughed softly, and Sasuke could feel his breath against his neck. Then it was his lips Sasuke was feeling, as Naruto kissed the back of his neck and shoulders. His hands rested briefly on Sasuke's hips, and Sasuke felt the rough fabric of Naruto's jeans against his bare buttocks before he moved away. There was a series of scuffles and thumps behind him; presumably Naruto was inspecting the rack. Despite his apprehension, Sasuke could feel his cock begin to harden again. He swallowed as Naruto came back into view. He had his hands behind his back.

"Left or right?" He asked.

Sasuke wiggled, trying to see what Naruto held in his hands, but it was impossible with his wrists and ankles bound.

"Left," he said, hoping that Naruto wasn't getting too carried away.

Naruto grinned, and produced a black rubber ring. He tucked something silvery in his pocket. Sasuke watched with some trepidation as Naruto slid the ring down his cock, settling it behind his balls. Before Sasuke could get used to the new, slightly restrictive sensation, Naruto took Sasuke's dick into his mouth. Sasuke let out a moan as Naruto's skilled mouth sucked him to rock hardness. The feeling of the ring, the tightness, was interesting. Naruto released his cock, placing a small kiss on the head, then trailing a line of light, teasing kisses down his length. Naruto's mouth trailed up his stomach, occasionally pausing to nip with his teeth, or lick with his tongue. Sasuke moaned as a nipple was taken into Naruto's mouth; Naruto flicked at it with his tongue, caught it between his teeth, then sucked. The warmth of his mouth vanished, and he blew on it. Sasuke moaned at the contrast, feeling the ache of pleasure down in his balls.

Then, a sharp pinch that remained; an ache that had his cock twitching. Sasuke glanced down to find that Naruto had put a clamp on his nipple. His other nipple was enveloped by Naruto's mouth, and he gasped at the sensation. He was prepared for the second clamp. The two were joined by a thin silver chain.

"I thought the choice was left or right," Sasuke said.

Naruto tugged at the chain, sending a spike of pleasurable pain through him. "It wasn't either or," Naruto said, it was which one I used first."

"Bastard," Sasuke gasped, twisting against the chains binding him. He looked into blue eyes that knew how much he was loving this; knew that his protests were just air.

Naruto took a step back, his eyes all over Sasuke. For some reason, it felt more intimate than his hands, or his lips; his eyes stripped Sasuke bare to the soul.

"You should see yourself," Naruto murmured. "You're so beautiful, all tied up; cock hard and leaking, face flushed. I don't want anyone else to see you this way. I want to make you mine." His voice took on a possessive growl as he said the last. Sasuke wanted to tell him that he was Naruto's completely, but he knew that Naruto wouldn't believe him, no matter how true his words were. It would bring them back to Sakura, and Sasuke didn't want to go there, it would break the mood.

"Do it," Sasuke said instead, "make me yours."

A dangerous light shone in Naruto's eyes; Sasuke had seen it before, in the gym. It excited him, seeing Naruto so raw. And he loved that he could still manipulate Naruto while he was tied up, although if he kept on needling the blond, it would be doubtful how much control he would retain. That thought made his cock even harder.

Naruto kissed him; a violent kiss. His hands tangled in Sasuke's hair, pulling his head back, and his teeth caught Sasuke's lip. Sasuke tasted blood in his mouth, and he was pretty sure that it was his own. He was gasping for air as Naruto attacked his neck, kissing and sucking and biting in such a fervour that Sasuke was pretty sure he would be wearing turtle necks and scarves for a few weeks. Maybe he would be pissed about that later, but at that moment, he didn't care. He wanted Naruto to claim him completely; the thought was terrifying and elating at the same time.

Sasuke, to his shame, found himself letting out a whine as Naruto's mouth left his throat, and his lover once again moved out of his vision.

"Left or right," Naruto whispered in his ear, his voice husky. A finger, slick with lube, teased at his hole; Sasuke shuddered and let out a moan.

"Left;" he gasped out.

The teasing finger slipped into his ass; Sasuke sighed at the feeling, though he wanted something bigger. A second finger easily slid into him; they scissored, opening up his hole. Sasuke let out a surprised cry that was definitely not a scream as Naruto squeezed cold lube directly inside his ass.

The fingers were removed while Sasuke was still gasping. His cock and balls ached, and the band around then was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, but in a weirdly good way. Something slick and smooth breached his anus; he hissed and moaned as it slid into him, stretching him wider and wider as it thickened. _Plug,_ his lust addled mind thought. He didn't know what size it was, but it felt huge. He had masturbated with dildos before, but had never tried a butt plug. Naruto slid it in slowly, but it still burned as the widest part at the base slipped in.

"You best not let that slip out, Sasuke," Naruto said, tapping the base of the plug. Sasuke gasped as it moved inside him, and his cock twitched. For a second he had thought that he was going to come, but the ring at the base of his cock had stopped him. He clenched his ass around the plug, though his hole had closed up around the narrow base.

Naruto came around in front of him, a strange oddment of leather straps and buckles in his hand.

"Let me guess; right?" Sasuke asked, his words coming out in harsh pants. He sounded winded, as if he had run a marathon. "What is that?"

Naruto smirked at him. "Ball gag," he said. "Open your mouth."

Sasuke almost refused; Naruto was getting way to into this. But the thought of being bound and gagged, completely at Naruto's mercy appealed. Lust clouded his mind, and he opened up his mouth, letting Naruto place the ball in there. It was so large it threatened to break his jaw; it was made of rubber, so he could set his teeth against it, but not bite down. The straps were soft leather, and buckled up behind his head.

Naruto backed away from Sasuke, a pleased expression on his face. Sasuke was very glad that there were no mirrors in the room. Sasuke noticed that there was something in Naruto's hand as the plug lodged in his ass began to vibrate. Sasuke moaned around the gag, twisting against his restraints. He could feel the vibration everywhere, not just in his ass; it was in his dick and balls too, his nipples, his fingers, his toes. His whole body felt sensitised, and the pleasure that coursed through him twisted itself around the pain, until he wasn't sure which sensation was which. His balls hurt, he needed to come so badly, yet at the same time, the ache was the most exquisite pleasure he had ever felt. Naruto settled his hip against a piece of furniture set against the wall. Sasuke wasn't really in any position to be observant, and the lighting was dim, but he thought it might be a chest of draws.

Naruto kept one hand on the remote, and his eyes on Sasuke. His other hand tugged down the zipper of his jeans, and pulled out his cock. Sasuke groaned. He wanted it in his mouth, or his ass. If it was possible, he would have both at the same time. Naruto began to stroke his cock, using long slow strokes, squeezing the length, twisting at the head. Sasuke's mouth watered, he tried to beg Naruto, he wanted that cock so badly, but all that came out was an unintelligible mutter. Stupid gag.

Sasuke pulled at the chains, almost sobbing with frustration. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he turned the vibration up. Sasuke let out a muffled shriek; his balls felt like they were going to burst with the pressure. He shot Naruto what was meant to be his evilest glare, but he didn't know how effective it was.

Naruto held his gaze, hand still on his cock. He gave it a few more strokes, before getting off of the dresser or chest or whatever it was he was on, and walking slowly towards Sasuke. He tugged at the chain attached to the nipple clamps, sending another red hot flare through Sasuke's body.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and muttered a few choice curses that came out sounding like gibberish.

Naruto unbuckled the gag, and pulled the ball out of Sasuke's mouth.

"Fuck. Me. Now." Sasuke gasped out.

Naruto slid behind him with a teasing smile. The vibration stopped and the plug was pulled out of his ass. Sasuke moaned at the feeling of it sliding out of him. Naruto barely gave him time to breath before the plug was replaced with Naruto's hot, hard cock.

"Yesss," Sasuke hissed, clenching his ass around the member filling him. Naruto moaned in his ear. His arms came around Sasuke, one resting on his stomach, the other catching the chain on the nipple clamps.

Naruto began fucking Sasuke, hard and fast, his breath coming out in a grunt with each thrust. Sasuke had no choice but to ride the waves with him. The metal at the base of his back prevented him from moving his hips in time with Naruto's thrusts, and the wrist shackles stopped him from bending forward, so it wasn't as deep as he would like, but his over stimulated body was practically thrumming. He was aware of the sound of their bodies meeting, the wetness of the lube inside him sucking at Naruto's cock. The gasps, moans cries and grunts that may have been coming from his throat, or maybe Naruto's. He wasn't sure anymore.

Naruto's hand slid down to his cock, caressing past his balls, making him moan louder. Suddenly, the cock ring was gone. Naruto's fist closed around Sasuke's cock, giving it a sharp tug as his hips snapped forward, burying his dick deep in Sasuke's body. Naruto's teeth clamped down on his shoulder, and suddenly he was coming, and coming and coming. He thought he heard a scream; possibly his own, but he wasn't sure because the world exploded, then went dark.

The next thing he was aware of, he was slumped on Naruto as the blond undid the straps on his left wrist. It was the last one; the nipple clamps had gone, too. He let Naruto half carry, half walk him to the bed; he had no strength in his legs, and he could still feel the aftershocks of his orgasm.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked, laying him onto the bed, "You really scared me; I've never fucked anyone unconscious before."

"I've never been fucked unconscious before," Sasuke replied, shocked to find his voice hoarse and scratchy. Just how much screaming had he done? Everything hurt; his ass, his balls, his cock, his nipples, his throat. But it was a good hurt; every ache was a mark made by Naruto.

He felt Naruto settle on the bed next to him, and very gingerly pull him into an embrace, spooning. He had taken off his jeans, and his bare skin felt nice against Sasuke's.

"How long do we have this room for?" Sasuke asked. He twined his fingers with Naruto's.

"As long as we want, though I've slept on nicer beds. The club closes at six; we need to be gone by then."

"We have time," Sasuke said, smiling as Naruto kissed his neck, gentle, loving and tender. He could stay like that forever; aching, lying on itchy sheets, stick with come. This was how it should be, Sasuke thought. Just the two of them, together. It was a dream; a beautiful dream, and he never wanted to wake up. If only he didn't have his duty to consider. If only Itachi wasn't ill, if only he wasn't due to marry Sakura in less than three months. If only.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to all of the reviewers for Chapter Seven :D I love seeing your responses :)**

**Bit more Sakura in this one...**

**Hope you all like it, please let me know what you think ^^**

Chapter Eight

_July 15__th__ – 2 Months to the Wedding_

The days since Minato had approved Naruto's proposal had sped by; Naruto found himself, for what seemed the first time in his life, genuinely busy. And he was loving it; his main regret was that he hadn't thought of teaming up with Sasuke sooner. They spent the days together, and the nights locked in each other's embrace. After the memorable night in the club, they had steered clear of bondage play. It had been amazing, they had both agreed that, but something to do only occasionally. Naruto still remembered the terror he had felt when Sasuke had passed out. That was not something he wanted to experience again anytime soon.

They had started working on the marketing of the Strawberry Whip cream tea almost immediately. The plan was to trial it as a regular in selected shops, and see how it took off. Naruto had volunteered himself (and by proxy Sasuke) to take on pretty much everything, including poster design. It was a pity that neither of them were particularly artistic. Hinata, however, proved to have quite a flare for design. She was the first recruit.

After that, and Naruto didn't quite know how it happened, they managed to get Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu on board. Fugaku was paying them a substantial wage to do not a lot, so Sasuke had declared they may as well make themselves useful. Karin seemed to have missed her calling as a PA. Though to be fair, not many PAs could shoot with deadly accuracy using a worrying number of different firearms.

Out of the three of them, Naruto had decided that he liked Juugo the best. Karin was a bit obsessed with Sasuke. Naruto was sure he had seen a pink haired doll, full of pins amongst her possessions. Sasuke insisted that it was just loyalty; Naruto wasn't so sure. Suigetsu, he was sure, had been found in a prison somewhere. He was the sort of body guard that you only took out with you if you really thought that someone may attack you. Juugo, in comparison, was quiet, and loved animals. He and Hinata seemed to get on very well; Naruto supposed they had bonded over the fainting incident. They had found a kitten with a broken leg somewhere, and now the little pest was a permanent fixture in Sasuke's office. Kurohime, as it was fancifully named, was limping around and getting into everything. Hinata and Karin thought it could be their mascot. Sasuke had threatened to kill it on several occasions, but Naruto had caught him cwtching it when he thought no one else was looking.

Sakura and the wedding were not off limit subjects as such, but both Naruto and Sasuke found themselves too busy to really talk about the wedding or the fiancée. There was only one incident, a few days after Naruto had come out to Mikoto's dinner party.

Naruto had been reading over Tenten's article. It turned out that the woman wrote for a gay magazine; it was mainly about Kushina and Mikoto branching out into gay rights, which Naruto had known would happen. He was still half expecting to find his room decorated with rainbows when he came home. He had a mention in one paragraph. It was slightly disappointing; he had wanted something a bit more sensational. Sasuke had practically melted with relief.

Said Uchiha was drying his hair from his shower. Naruto had wrapped a towel around his waist, and had flopped down on Sasuke's bed to peruse the article. He looked up, eyes tracing Sasuke's form. There were still dark bruises around Sasuke's throat; something that made him cringe in shame, and want to dance around in elation at the same time. Sasuke was his, and he sort of regretted that the marks would fade.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he realised Sasuke looked nervous. His lover had been edgy all evening, but Naruto had put that down to having to spend the day with Sakura. Sudden dread settled in the pit of his belly, as he wondered what had managed to make Sasuke, who wasn't afraid of anything, nervous.

"I need to ask you a favour," Sasuke said, turning his back on Naruto and beginning to comb through his wet hair.

"What sort of favour?" Naruto had asked, suspiciously.

Sasuke let out his breath in a long sigh. "Sakura wants me to sort out inviting my guests. Non family guests. And as you're my best man she thought-"

"Wait. I'm what? Best what?" Naruto sat up, letting the magazine drop to the floor.

"Best man." Sasuke's back was still to him, but it sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth.

"Since when? You know I don't want you to get married, so why would I be your best man? Besides, don't you think it's a little perverse to have your gay lover as your best man?"

"Well, since Itachi is too ill-"

"What?" Naruto got to his feet, ignoring the towel that puddled around his ankles. "I'm not even your first choice?"

Sasuke spun around at that point. "You just said that you didn't want to do it!"

"I don't, but I could at least be your first choice. Seems like I'm second in everything with you."

"You're my first and only love." Sasuke's voice was quiet as he said that, his dark eyes intense with emotion. Naruto cursed the evil bastard for making him melt with a few words.

Later, he had cornered his mother for a proper rant.

"I don't get him," he snarled as he paced the length of the lounge. Kushina was making paper chains for some obscure reason, and there was glue everywhere. Naruto had already kicked over one pot; another one was slowly solidifying on a cushion.

"Why would he even consider me for best man? Oh, right, because I'm the only one. It's either me or Itachi, and Itachi is too ill." He kicked at a fallen cushion, and had to shake it off his foot as it stuck to him.

"Don't you see how perfect this is?" Kushina exclaimed, her tone gleeful. "You're in the middle of enemy territory. It's the perfect place to launch a counter attack."

Naruto stopped his pacing and turned to face her. "How? If I try to sabotage the wedding, Sasuke's going to know."

Kushina rolled her eyes, gluing another paper link together. "Because, chickpea, you can see exactly what Sakura is planning. I'm pretty sure a lot of the things she likes Sasuke loathes. You know what he likes. Support him; show him that you know him better than her. And you can remind him of the very heterosexual traditions of marriage. Oooh, by the way, you have to sign my petition to legalise gay marriage."

Naruto had capitulated; so far he had managed to get away with avoiding the wedding planning meetings, mainly because Sasuke was avoiding them too. That wasn't going to last, though. Sakura had a day planned out for them. Hinata and Juugo were going to look after Kurohime and put the finishing touches on the script for the radio ad, and Suigetsu was taking the finished posters to a printing company owned by the Uchiha. Sasuke and Naruto were being taken for tuxedo fittings by Sakura. Karin was doing duty as security detail for that.

Fugaku had been interviewing for a security team for Sakura, but didn't have one as yet. Sakura had paled a bit when he had raised the notion at dinner the other night. He had even offered Kisame, Itachi's hulking body guard, who mainly did duty as a chauffer for hospital visits these days. Itachi and Sasuke had managed to talk him out of it. Someone as intimidating as Kisame would attract attention, and Sakura was still mainly unknown. Naruto privately thought that Fugaku's obsession with security staff was more for show than actual protection; a pretentious display of Uchiha power.

"I don't see why I need a new tuxedo," Naruto grumbled. He was perched on one of the desks that they had commandeered and dragged into Sasuke's study. The room had undergone a transformation over the course of the week. Previously it had held a desk, upon which sat Sasuke's laptop, and a few shelves for filing. They had crammed in the other desks, and some more shelves. Suigetsu had found a spare laptop somewhere. A basket and litter tray for the kitten had appeared, as well as a small potted plant. A coffee machine sat on one desk; they had joked about getting a water cooler from somewhere, but Sasuke had vetoed that, as no one knew how to plumb the thing in.

Said Uchiha raised an eyebrow at Naruto's complaint. "You don't have a tuxedo," he said.

"I have a suit. It's a good suit; I don't see why I can't just wear that."

"Because…I don't know why, but if I have to spend the day shopping for stupid tuxedos with Sakura, then you have to do it too. It's your job as my best man." He rescued a pen lid from the kitten, and placed it onto his desk.

"I resign," Naruto muttered, sliding off of the desk. There was so much work still to do; he begrudged any time Sasuke spent with Sakura on principle, but it was worse when it was getting in the way of their work.

Sasuke was grinning at him; it was unexpected, considering that he was about as thrilled as Naruto with the prospect of the coming shopping trip.

"You're so sexy when you're all caught up in work," Sasuke purred. "I can see it in your eyes; you want to stay here."

Naruto snorted at the praise, but he could feel a blush tingling his ears. He wanted to pull Sasuke into a kiss, but Hinata and Juugo were going to be there any minute, and Sasuke would resist him. Or at least, he thought he would; several times when they were working he had unthinkingly placed a hand on Sasuke's thigh, or twined their fingers together. Sometimes Sasuke would shy away from the contact, sometimes he would tolerate it; once, he had even initiated it. Naruto was tempted to see what would happen if he did kiss Sasuke, when the door opened, quashing the notion.

Hinata entered, and made a bee line for the kitten. Juugo followed her in. "Sakura and Karin are waiting in the car," Hinata said, pulling Kurohime from behind a book shelf. The cat made a yowl of protest, but was soon purring away, cradled in Hinata's arms.

"It might be an idea to go before they kill each other," Juugo added mildly.

Sasuke let out a groan. "Come on," he said to Naruto. "There is no way you're leaving me alone with those two."

"Fine," Naruto said with a martyred sigh. He gave the study a wistful look, before following Sasuke.

They found Karin and Sakura sat in stony silence; Karin had put herself in the driver's seat; Sakura sat in the back, on the opposite side. They were taking the silver Mercedes, one of the family cars, Naruto noticed, rather than one of Sasuke's. He quickly slipped into the front passenger seat, since he didn't want to share the back seat with Sakura. He could feel the dirty look Sasuke gave him through the back of his head. He ignored it, in much the same way as he ignored Sakura latching onto Sasuke the moment he slid in next to her on the back seat. He was sure he heard someone grinding their teeth, but he couldn't decide if it was Karin or Sasuke.

The car journey was pretty awful; Sakura babbled on about their itinerary for the day; Naruto tried to ignore her. Karin had a particularly useful method for this; she turned the radio on. Loud.

Occasionally Naruto would glance at Sasuke in the mirror; inevitably their eyes would meet. Naruto wondered how Sasuke managed to continue to convince himself that this wedding was a good idea. His body language suggested that he was trying to stop himself from violently shaking Sakura off. She had her head resting on his shoulder, and one of her arms looped with his. Sasuke, Naruto knew from very pleasant personal experience, could be a surprisingly cuddly person. However, he also didn't like to be touched; for Sasuke, touching was a privilege, not a right. Naruto had learned over the years, long before they had become lovers, that sometimes you could push your way past Sasuke's defences, and sometimes you just needed to stay the fuck away from him. It was a subtle thing, and clearly Sakura hadn't caught on to it.

She didn't understand him the way Naruto did; she didn't even seem to want to try. Surely she had picked up on at least some of his personality quirks. Though apparently not. She snuggled closer to Sasuke; it was almost as if she was purposefully trying to piss him off. The grinding teeth this time definitely belonged to Naruto. Sasuke was unbelievably stupid; every time their eyes met, the animosity caused by Sakura was burned away, his dark eyes smouldering with passion. Yet he didn't pull away from her, didn't call the wedding off, didn't admit to everyone that it was Naruto that he loved. He was so unbelievably frustrating.

Naruto's head began to pound; it was going to be a long day.

Naruto felt increasingly out of place as they walked along the high street. Sakura walked arm in arm with Sasuke, while Karin followed, her eyes everywhere. Looking out for signs of danger, Naruto supposed. Not that anyone spared them a second glance; Sasuke and Sakura fit in, a good looking heterosexual couple out for a shopping trip. Naruto felt like the third wheel as he followed them; possibly he could carry their bags, he thought bitterly. It was a horrible feeling, and one he didn't wish to experience again. He knew this was what life would be like if Sasuke married Sakura, and more than ever he was determined to make sure that the wedding never happened.

He fixed his sunniest grin on his face, and channelled his mother. He barged in between Sasuke and Sakura, breaking her hold on his lover. He draped an arm over each shoulder; loosely over Sakura's, squeezing Sasuke tightly.

"So, where are we going first?" He asked.

Sakura shot him a miffed look; Sasuke looked positively grateful.

"I did say in the car," Sakura said.

"The music was a bit loud, I didn't hear," Naruto replied.

"We are going to Beau Beau to get you both fitted for your tuxedos, and to make sure that the colours go with my dress. We can check the progress on the bridesmaid's dresses at the same time."

"Oooh, can we have kilts?"

"No. Then I want to go to the jewellers, and check on the rings; we're having them custom made."

"How nice."

Sakura appeared to be immune to sarcasm. "I also want to check on my tiara," She continued, "but Sasuke can't see that, so I thought that you could go for coffee, then meet me for a sandwich after."

"All planed out; how very militant."

"Naruto, I am working on a very tight schedule. We only have two months, and there is still so much to do. Did you two manage to get those invites out?"

"Yes." Eventually. Naruto had become distracted by the way Sasuke bit on the end of his pen, and they had needed to re-do a few due to staining. It had made a distasteful task a bit more fun. Still, the longer Sasuke dallied, the harder it would be to cancel the wedding.

Naruto had imagined that tuxedo fitting would be over fairly shortly; a few measurements, and done. Not so; he and Sasuke were made to stand on stools with their arms held out, while a wizened little man poked and prodded at them. They remained on the stools while the Sakura examined different materials with the little man. Karin got bored and began to read a bridal magazine. Naruto was bursting for a piss, but when he had tried to get off of the stool, the little man had actually glared at him.

"You know I seriously hate you right now," he hissed at Sasuke, trying to ignore the pain in his bladder, and taking out his frustration on the nearest target, who did happen to be to blame for most of his woes, anyway.

"This wasn't my idea," Sasuke hissed back. "You think I like spending my time in stuffy little shops?"

"The front of the shop is actually quite big," Karin chimed in. "They serve champagne to the bridesmaids while the bride tries on her dress. Obviously things are different for men."

"Yeah," Naruto snorted, "We get forced to play statues and groped by little old men."

"Groped?" Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow.

Naruto glanced at him, "What, he didn't cop a feel when he was measuring your inside leg?"

"No; must just be you. Maybe he read that magazine article and thought he was in with a chance."

Naruto shuddered. "Please don't," he said. "He's definitely not my type."

Both Karin and Sasuke snickered.

Sakura and the old pervert returned. Sakura looked pleased. "Ok," she said, "I need to have a look at the bridesmaid dresses, but we have two sample tuxes for you to try on."

"Can I please take a piss first?" Naruto asked.

"Its round the corner, I'll show you," the old man said. Naruto was sure that he saw the barest wink.

"I'll come too," Sasuke said, practically leaping off his stool.

The old man showed them to the dingy store bathroom, then pointed out the changing rooms before leaving them to it.

Naruto relieved himself with a soft sigh; Sasuke apparently didn't need to go.

"Were you jealous of the little old tuxedo man?" Naruto asked with a grin, tucking his dick away and zipping up his fly.

Sasuke snorted. "Of course not." But he grabbed Naruto and gave him a deep, possessive kiss that said otherwise.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed against his lover's mouth, "this is torture. I can't stand seeing you with her."

Sasuke at least had the grace to look guilty. "It's just one day," he said.

"Idiot; of course it's not just one day. It's going to be every day for the rest of our lives unless you stop this. Please Sasuke."

"Not now," Sasuke replied, his dark eyes troubled.

"If not now, then when? You know that she's not right for you, yet you persist in acting out this farce. I can see it in your eyes when you're with her, and Sakura's not stupid. She's not going to be blind to you forever."

Anger snapped in Sasuke's eyes now. _Good, _Naruto thought, _why should I be the only one pissed off by this day? _

"I don't want to fight with you here, Naruto," Sasuke said through clenched teeth. "You're right, we both know it, but I have no choice. I must play this farce to the end. Believe me when I say that I take less joy in this than you do."

He turned, and stalked out of the bathroom.

Naruto found him in the changing room, fiddling with his shirt buttons. He grabbed the other tuxedo silently, and began to strip. He could feel Sasuke's eyes on his body as he removed his shirt, and slipped off his jeans, but pettiness augmented by his headache made him ignore the other man. The only reason Sasuke didn't want to fight was because he knew that he wouldn't be able to push Naruto into makeup sex. Every fight ended with sex, and was never, ever resolved. Naruto wished that Sasuke would just back down for once, and apologise. That wasn't going to happen, though. At least, not here and now.

He put on the shirt and trousers; the bow tie defeated him. Eventually, frustration getting the better of him, he turned to Sasuke.

His breath stopped. Sasuke had had no problem with any item of his clothing; he was fully dressed. There was something about Sasuke that enabled him to look good, whatever he wore; he could make rags look attractive, wearing the tuxedo he looked stunning. He was all in black and white; the only point of colour was the scarlet cummerbund around his waist. His dark eyes were deep with sadness, and Naruto wanted to kiss him and curse him. _I have the way to make everything better,_ he wanted to scream; _all you need to do it let me._

"You look beautiful," Naruto murmured.

Sasuke smiled, and grabbed Naruto's bow tie. He wrapped it around Naruto's neck, deftly tying it with a few flicks of his fingers. Naruto could feel his breath against his cheek.

"You scrub up pretty well, too," Sasuke said with a wry grin on his face. "Naruto, I-"

"Oh my God, I can't believe how good you look!" Sakura's squeal had them practically leaping apart. Naruto contemplated murder as she pushed past him to tweak at Sasuke's bow tie. "You should see the bridesmaid dresses," she gushed, "they're perfect!"

It didn't get any better than that; if anything, the day went steadily downhill. Naruto found himself listing all the things he could be doing in place of trudging along with Sasuke and Sakura's faux domestic bliss. Having a root canal drilled was number ten, though he lost count due to not writing them all down. The high point of the day came when Karin accidently mistook Sakura for a stalker coming back from the jewellers, and sprayed her with mace.

The visit to A&E was almost fun in comparison.

They had a brief moment alone as Sakura was having her eyes checked as a precaution.

"I need to see you tonight," Sasuke said. They were both leaning against a wall littered with posters about cataracts and eating fruit. Sasuke's eyes were fixed, unseeing, at the far wall.

Naruto was almost tempted to say no, after the day he had had to endure. He couldn't stop thinking about all the work they could have been doing.

"What time," he found himself asking.

Sasuke let out a shuddering breath, and his eyes flicked towards Naruto. "Half eight," he said, "I have some catching up to do," he grimaced.

Naruto found himself giving voice to something that he had been thinking of for a while. "Sasuke, you should just drop your father's work; it's not like he doesn't have a million people to help him out," he said. "We should start a business together, it's been fun, you know, doing this thing for my dad. But I really want to do something that's our own. We make a good team; we could even employ Hinata and the others properly." He glanced at Sasuke, surprised to see that the Uchiha had turned dead pale.

"Don't," he said, "I can't bear wanting any more things I can't have."

Naruto risked grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. Surprisingly, Sasuke squeezed back. All of Naruto's instincts were begging him to push, but he couldn't, not in the middle of a hospital corridor.

"This conversation isn't over, Sasuke," he said instead, releasing Sasuke's hand.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Mikoto wasn't hosting that night, so Naruto partook in the Uzumaki-Namikaze family dinner instead. Kushina occasionally dabbled in cooking; thankfully she had been too busy that evening, and had the hired chief who also doubled as the gardener, cook instead. Sometimes he would join them for dinner, but he was visiting family that evening, so the table was set for three.

"How was your day, chickpea?" Kushina asked as Naruto moodily pushed his food around on his plate.

"Terrible. I fought with Sasuke, got groped by an old man, had to spend time with Sakura, then ended up in A&E."

"Who got hurt?"

"Karin mace'd Sakura. She said it was an accident, but I'm pretty sure she did it on purpose."

Kushina almost choked on her peas as she began laughing hysterically. Minato was trying to look disapproving, and failing miserably. Naruto found himself chuckling along. It had been pretty funny, though he doubted Sakura saw it that way. She had been very subdued coming out of the hospital, and the look she had shot Karin was pure murder. She had been lucky, though. Karin had missed her eyes; all the way to the hospital she had been panicking about having to wear an eye patch.

"Sasuke's still being so stubborn, though," Naruto continued, his mirth fleeing from him. "Sakura is really getting to him, but he still insists on going through with the wedding. And the longer he drags it out, the harder it will be to stop it." He dropped his head to the table, momentarily weighted down by the task in front of him.

Kushina reached over and tousled his hair. "Don't fret, bean sprout; too late is after they say 'I do'. You have plenty of time. And I have another plan." Naruto looked up to see her grinning at him. It was a grin that made him feel very nervous. She got up from the table, and grabbed a bag from the corner of the room. She emptied the contents of the bag in front of Naruto.

He glanced down, puzzled. "Wait, is that porn?"

"Yup. And not just any porn; straight porn." Kushina beamed at him. It was really disturbing to have your mother give you porn while looking so happy about it.

"Mum, really not wanting to go there with you, but sex is fine between us. It's everything else that's fucked up. Plus, I don't see how straight porn is going to help us."

"Because you will be showing Sasuke what he's letting himself in for; I've had a look at some of them, there's more boobs and fannies than an all girls Catholic School in there."

"I really didn't need to know that," Naruto said, pushing his plate away. He wasn't hungry anymore.

"Maybe that could be a plan B. Or plan…Y," Minato cut in. "Remember, Naruto, Sasuke is a very stubborn person. If you push him too hard, he'll do the opposite just to prove that he's still in control."

Naruto glanced at his dad. "What do you think I should do, then?" He asked; whatever he said was bound to be more helpful than Kushina's straight porn idea.

"Nothing. You need to focus on yourself, and stop worrying so much about Sasuke. I need you to go out of town for me. I've selected the stores for the preliminary run, and I want you to make your proposal to each of them, and hand out the promotional posters; it shouldn't be more than a week or two."

"I can't; Sasuke needs me to-"

"If Sasuke needs you as much as you say, don't you think that being away will make him realise it? Naruto, a relationship is made of give and take. All you're doing is giving. Even without Sakura, it's not stable. Remember the old saying; absence makes the heart grow fonder? I think time away from Sasuke is exactly what you both need."

Naruto considered it; he was loath to leave Sasuke and Sakura together for any length of time, but that would happen anyway if they got married. Naruto could feel Sasuke slipping through his fingers, and he would do anything to hold on to him.

"It makes sense, I suppose," Naruto said, "and I would like to see the project through to the end. When do I need to go?"

Minato grinned "not straight away," he said, "you need to finish the radio ad, and finalise some designs, remember."

"Maybe you could not call him, wait for Sasuke to call you," Kushina added.

Minato shot a fond, if exasperated look. "Kushina, this isn't about Sasuke, it's about Naruto." He turned to his son. "You need to think; what would you do if Sasuke and Sakura did marry. Would you consent to be his secret lover?"

"It doesn't matter," Naruto said, "the wedding won't happen."

"Ok, but I'm just saying what if," Minato's voice was patient.

Naruto scowled. It wasn't something he wanted to think about, ever. He couldn't be without Sasuke, but he wouldn't be a dirty little secret. "The wedding won't happen," he said, "even if I have to stop it myself, it won't happen."

He got up from the table, grabbed the porn, just in case, and stormed from the room. He wouldn't make the choice between Sasuke and his integrity. He wouldn't. His dad wanted him to live for himself and not Sasuke, but how could he not include Sasuke in everything he did when Sasuke felt like a part of him?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He arrived early at the Uchiha mansion; he parked his car, and went around the back. Sasuke's window was always open, and he didn't want to risk running into anyone. His dad's words still echoed in his mind; paired with the shitty day he had just had, and Sasuke's continuing stubbornness, Naruto was finding it very hard to find his normal cheery equilibrium. Spending the night with Sasuke would help, he hoped. Either that, or make everything ten times worse.

The light was on in Sasuke's room. Naruto smiled to himself, and began to climb the trellis. He pulled the window wide enough for him to fit in; precariously balancing himself with his other hand on the sill, and climbed in. The very feminine shriek that greeted him was unexpected.

He turned to find Sakura sprawled on Sasuke's bed, wearing not a lot, her green eyes wide.

For a long moment, they both stared at each other, stupefied by the other's presence. Sakura was wearing a pink negligee that just about covered her to mid thigh. The material was filmy, and didn't leave a lot to the imagination.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, finding his tongue.

"What am I doing here? I'm Sasuke's fiancée, why wouldn't I be in his room? What are you doing here?" Sakura grabbed a pillow and held it to her chest; much to Naruto's relief. He had been able to see her nipples, and he dearly wished he could erase the sight from his memory.

"I'm here to..." _fuck your precious fiancé into the mattress you're casually lying on_ "finish some work we didn't get done today."

A puzzled frown appeared on Sakura's face "You came in through the window."

Naruto shrugged, "force of habit," he said.

"So you often come in through the window? Why?"

"It's a short cut. Look, Sasuke is expecting me so I know that he didn't invite you to drape yourself all over his bedding."

Sakura flushed. "Listen, Naruto, can you please leave him to me for this one night. You seem to be with him all the time, and I know you've got this tea thing going on, but I think that he and I should have some us time, you know."

For a brief moment Naruto contemplated dragging Sakura out of the room, and dumping her in the corridor. Why should he care if he was acting like the jealous boyfriend; it was true, after all. His dad's words came back to him _do nothing. _And this was a perfect situation for him to do nothing. Sasuke would likely flip at the sight of a practically naked Sakura in his bed. However, there was no way that Naruto was going to leave them alone; if nothing else, he deserved a bit of comedy after the day he had had. And he needed to be there in case Sasuke was so stupefied that he let Sakura rape him.

"Ok," he said, "I just need to take a leak, then I'll go out the bathroom window."

"You have horrible bladder control," Sakura said. Obviously she hadn't been in Sasuke's room very often, otherwise she would know that while Sasuke's en suite did have a window, it was far too small for anyone to climb out of.

There was a sound of footsteps, then the clunking of the key in the lock. Naruto briefly wondered how Sakura had managed to get into a locked room.

"It's Sasuke," Sakura hissed, "get out of here, quick!"

Naruto ducked into the bathroom, leaving the door open a tiny crack. The bed was directly opposite, so Naruto had a perfect view as Sasuke entered his room, tugging at his tie. Naruto stifled a giggle with the back of his hand at the incredulous double take Sasuke did at the sight of Sakura on his bed. She had dumped the pillow, and was reclining on her back, an expression on her face that Naruto thought was supposed to be sultry.

"Sakura? What are you doing?" Sasuke exclaimed, his dark eyes widening.

When it became clear that he wasn't going to budge from his stance half way across the room, Sakura sat up. One of the straps to her negligee slipped down her arm, half exposing her breast. Naruto was almost impressed; he was sure it was done on purpose, but it seemed to be completely accidental. Whatever Sasuke might think, Naruto was pretty damn convinced that Sakura was as much a virgin as he was.

"I thought that we could spend the night together," Sakura said, her voice suddenly throaty. She rose up to her knees, and crawled across the bed towards Sasuke. "I don't think I can wait any longer, I want to have you now, Sasuke."

From the look on Sasuke's face, she may as well have said that she wanted him to eat barbecued puppies with her.

"Sakura, I really think we should wait until after-"

Sakura leaped off the bed, grasped Sasuke's hair and stopped him with a kiss. Definitely not a virgin, Naruto thought to himself. Sasuke froze for an instant, then grasped Sakura by the shoulders and pushed her away from him.

"Stop it, Sakura," he said. "I don't want to ruin our wedding night."

Sakura pouted. The other strap had slipped, and the slightest movement would likely have her naked. Sasuke seemed to see this, too. He very gingerly moved her to arms length before letting go.

"Sasuke, it's in two months time, I don't think anyone will mind us starting early; I want it to be memorable, too, but it doesn't have to be our first time." She shrugged her shoulders, and the negligee lost its fight with gravity, pooling at Sakura's ankles. Sasuke let out a small whimper. Probably fear. Sakura took it for something else, and renewed her assault, pressing Sasuke up against the wall next to the bathroom door. Naruto was glad that she hadn't chosen the door itself, as they would have both tumbled on top of him. He was poised in case Sakura's assault gained ground; no way was he letting the first thing Sasuke put his dick in be her cunt.

Sasuke did seem to be capable of defending himself; Sakura appeared to be part octopus as her hands alternated between caressing and stripping Sasuke. He put one hand on her chest, in an attempt to push her away, obviously forgetting that Sakura was a girl, and had extra bits there. He pulled his hand away from her breast as if burnt, but Sakura took his wrist and placed it back, purring as she nuzzled his neck. Naruto wondered if she would notice any of the fading bruises he had placed there.

Every time Sakura placed a hand on Sasuke he would remove it; Sakura seemed to think it was a game. Naruto could clearly see the terror in Sasuke's eyes as he desperately fought for his chastity.

Sakura's hand darted down to cup Sasuke's cock through his trousers. She paused, a puzzled frown appearing on her face as she noticed for the first time Sasuke's obvious lack of arousal.

"Nervous, Sasuke?" She asked, giving him a playful squeeze. "I can fix that." She dropped to her knees, and pulled open his fly. She had his limp cock out and her mouth open before it dawned on Sasuke what she meant to do. He pushed her away, spinning out of her reach and grasping his tattered shirt, which was missing several buttons, to his chest. He knocked against the en suite door, banging it into Naruto's nose. The door ricocheted off of Naruto and slammed shut.

"Oww," he said quietly, rubbing at the injured appendage. He wondered if he dared open the door again to have a look.

"No means no, Sakura," Sasuke said, his voice muffled by the closed door. "I want to wait." Though how he thought that their wedding night would go any better Naruto didn't know.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I just thought…" he voice faded into sniffles. Naruto wondered if this was another ploy. He imagined Sakura, still naked, sat on the floor sobbing, Sasuke feeling sorry for her and taking her into a comforting embrace. She would turn, her lips brushing against his cheek, maybe take a chaste kiss from his lips before…

It was too much to bear, Naruto pushed the door open a crack. Sasuke was standing, his back to Sakura, holding out a pair of jogging bottoms and a tee-shirt. She took the clothing from him, and put it on, her face artfully tear stained. He had replaced his own shirt, Naruto noticed.

"Good night, Sasuke," she said, pulling open the door. He didn't answer. She closed it behind her with a small sigh. If it wasn't Sasuke she had just failed in seducing, Naruto would have felt sorry for her.

Once she was gone, Sasuke strode to the door, and locked it. He sank down onto the bed, buried his head in his hands and let out a groan. Naruto carefully opened the bathroom door, and stepped into the room. Sasuke, made cautious by Sakura's invasion snapped his head up.

"Naruto? Why were you…you saw?"

Naruto sat down next to Sasuke. "I saw," he said.

"Well? I'm sure you have a lot to say about that."

Naruto shook his head. "I think what just happened speaks for itself," he replied.

Sasuke scowled at him. "I'm still going through with the wedding," he said.

"Yeah? Well save me a front row ticket for the wedding night, then. Because that's going to be hilarious."

"I'm so glad you take pleasure in my pain."

"Pleasure?" Naruto said flatly, "You really think I enjoy this? It's not even about the sex, you know. You'll be giving yourself to her, and I hate it." He fixed his eyes on the wall, because he couldn't look at Sasuke. "You know, there's this myth. I think it's Greek, or maybe Roman, or Viking…I don't know, it doesn't matter where it comes from, anyway. But it goes that once everyone was complete, and you had three types of people, men, women and…half and half."

"Hermaphrodites," Sasuke provided.

"Yeah, that's it. But they did something to piss off the gods…maybe it was the tower of Babel thing?"

"No, that was languages. Everyone spoke the same language until the tower of Babel."

"Oh, ok well, the gods split everyone in half. I think they all had two heads or something before…anyway, the ones who were fully male were gay, the ones fully female were lesbians, and the ones that were a bit of both were het, and ever since then, we go around looking for our other half, to become complete again. And what I'm trying to say, Sasuke, is that it's you. You're my other half, my soul mate, and you're going to give it all away to her, and it pisses me off so much. Because you know what I'm saying is true."

"I'm not giving anything away to her," Sasuke said, his voice soft.

Naruto snorted, "Of course you are," he said. "I know how the wedding vows go. You're going to make a solemn promise in front of God to give your heart body and soul to her, and all that stuff belongs to me."

"It's just words," Sasuke replied.

"No it's not!" Naruto insisted. He could feel tears pooling in his eyes; what a perfect end to a perfect day. "If it's just words, then when I tell you I love you, are those just words to you, too?"

"Naruto, that's different. Some words are used to express feelings, some are just…"

"Lies? You can't lie to God, saying it in a church makes it true."

"You really believe that?"

Naruto finally glanced over at Sasuke. There was a strange look in his dark eyes. For a wonder he was actually taking Naruto seriously.

"I do," Naruto replied. "It's not like I'm religious or anything, but when you make a promise like that, you're bound to it."

"And the church matters?" Sasuke persisted.

Naruto frowned at him. "I just said that, didn't I?"

Sasuke got to his feet. "Come on," he said, taking something off of the bedside cabinet and slipping it in his pocket. He grabbed a pair of shoes and slipped them on. He took Naruto's hand and pulled him up off the bed, then led him to the window.

"Where are we going?" Naruto demanded. He wondered if Sakura had managed to break Sasuke, he was acting weird.

Sasuke shot him a secretive look, his dark eyes smouldering. "You'll see," was all he said before slipping out of the window.

They didn't go to their cars; instead Sasuke led them across the gardens, to an old gate set in the back wall. It had once been cast iron, tweaked into a fanciful swirl of leaves and vines, but age had turned it mainly to rust. Sasuke managed to shove it open wide enough for them to fit through. Naruto thought that Fugaku would have a fit if he knew that this was here. Security was tight at the Uchiha manor, and here was a back door any psycho could wander through.

The gate opened onto a narrow lane, flanked by the high brick wall of the Uchiha mansion on one side, and an overgrown hedge on the other. Judging by the amount of grass growing in the road that was barely wide enough for a car to pass through, it had not been used in some time.

Naruto followed Sasuke as he set off down the lane. Every time Naruto asked where they were going, Sasuke would shoot him a veiled look. Sasuke led them over a style into a field. They crossed the field, full of ripening corn, then into another one inhabited by sheep. Naruto carefully picked his way through the dung that littered the short grass. They came out of the sheep field onto another narrow lane. Naruto hadn't a clue where they were. His curiosity was piqued; he wondered where Sasuke was taking him. The lane ended at the rusty gates of an old, abandoned church. The building was made of grey stone, squat with the steeple raising only ten feet higher than the roof. Crumbling gravestones, their legends long worn away by wind and rain, were strewn haphazardly in the weed choked yard.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke.

"You said words said in a church are important," Sasuke said, his voice defensive.

"I think you're missing the point," Naruto replied, standing well back as Sasuke broke the rusted chain holding the gates shut. One side of the gates fell off its hinges, thumping to the ground. Sasuke carefully stepped over it.

"Come on," he said, turning briefly to Naruto, before picking his way through the overgrown church yard.

Naruto followed with some trepidation. He was pretty sure that breaking into a church, even an old abandoned one like this, was probably blasphemy, or sacrilege, or at the very least just plain illegal. Sasuke didn't seem daunted. He was fiddling with the locks to the old wooden door when Naruto caught up with him.

"Sasuke, stop," Naruto said, "We shouldn't be doing this."

Sasuke ignored him. He turned to Naruto with a grin as the lock popped open, and pushed the door open, slipping the pin he had used into his pocket. He took Naruto's hand, and dragged him into the church.

It was dark inside, despite the fact that it was still daylight outside. Most churches Naruto had been in had tall stained glass windows. This one was more austere; the windows were tall, but narrow, letting long bars of light fall into the church, and they were glazed with plain glass. The air was heavy with dust and neglect; one of the windows had broken some time ago, and it had let in leaves and debris from outside. The pews still stood, though some of them looked rickety, and the Alter at the front remained, a tall thing carved of wood.

Sasuke marched Naruto up the aisle, stopping in front of the Alter. Naruto snatched his hand away, only to have Sasuke take it back, gripping tightly to his wrist.

"You've gone crazy," Naruto declared, "one taste of het sex, and it's driven you over the edge."

"Hardly," Sasuke replied dryly. "I'm giving you what you wanted." He shifted his grip on Naruto's arm, so their fingers were twined together, and placed his other hand onto the Alter. He tipped his head back, dubiously staring up at the ceiling. Naruto wondered if there were bats roosting up there.

"I don't believe in you," Sasuke began.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I don't know if anyone's told you this, but that's not how you pray," he said.

"I'm being honest." Sasuke shot a glance at Naruto, before looking upwards again. "I don't believe in you. When I was little, I used to ask you to make Itachi better, but you never listened to me, he just kept on getting worse and worse. Well, maybe you won't listen now, and maybe you won't listen in two months time, but this means something to Naruto, so I'm going to try talking to you one last time."

Sasuke paused, taking a deep breath, as if steeling himself. Naruto was strangely touched by his words, that Sasuke was taking his feelings into consideration. Granted, all Sasuke really needed to do was to call off the wedding, but nothing was ever simple where Sasuke was concerned.

"I love Naruto," Sasuke continued. "I love him, more than anything, and I'll never love anyone but him in this way. He's everything to me. So, my heart and soul and everything else belong to him. This is the truth. And when I say what I have to say in two months time, just ignore it. It's lies."

Sasuke's eyes remained on the ceiling as he said this, but his hand tightened on Naruto's. Naruto swallowed a sudden lump in his throat at the raw emotion evoked by Sasuke's words. Impulsively, he placed his free hand on the Alter, and tipped his head back to look up.

"Me too," he said, "I love him too, more than anything; Sasuke is my soul mate, and I'll love him forever."

They moved at the same time, shifting their heads from looking up, to looking at each other. Naruto could see the truth of their words reflected in Sasuke's eyes. He was suddenly too choked with emotion to speak. The hand placed on the Alter raised, as if of its own accord, and cupped Sasuke's cheek. His fingers brushed Sasuke's lashes, feeling moisture there. Sasuke's free hand slipped through Naruto's hair in a gentle caress, and then they were kissing, soft brushes of lips at first, silent promises, gentle caresses, that became more insistent as passion passed between them, a fire fanned by wind, becoming a bigger and bigger blaze.

Somehow, Naruto found himself on his back in front of the Alter, Sasuke on top of him; their legs twined together, kissing, and kissing, and kissing. He cupped Sasuke's face between his palms to stop him.

"We can't," Naruto breathed, "not here,"

"Why not?" Sasuke slipped out of his grasp, his lips on Naruto's throat, one hand sliding down Naruto's jeans. Naruto let out a gasp as Sasuke's hand closed on his cock, which seemed to agree more with Sasuke than himself.

"Because…it's a church, Sasuke, it's…wrong. Besides, God's watching us."

Sasuke nipped at Naruto's throat "I don't care," Sasuke replied, "let Him watch."

"I swear, one day you're going to be smote down."

"Read the Bible, Naruto. Apparently sodomy is a sin; if I'm being smote, you're going down with me."

His hand tightened on Naruto's cock, presenting a far better argument, and Naruto gave in; falling was such a sweet sensation, after all.

Their shirts were stripped between kisses and caresses. The stone against Naruto's back was cold, but Sasuke's body was so warm that he could ignore it. Trousers were shed, and they were pressed together, flesh against flesh. Naruto could feel Sasuke's length hard against his own, then slipping lower. He abruptly became aware of the position he was in, and he was tempted, sorely tempted, to go with the flow. But Sasuke was still going to marry Sakura, and he had promised himself that he would only give in, and give himself to Sasuke, when Sasuke was completely and totally his.

With a groan, Naruto rolled them, pinning Sasuke to the stone floor. He gazed down into lust hazy eyes, pressing their cocks together, moving his hips to create friction between them. Sasuke arched his back with a cry, pressing against Naruto.

"I wanted," Sasuke gasped out.

"I know," Naruto replied, trailing a line of kisses across his cheek. "Another time. No lube." It was a poor excuse, but Sasuke seemed to accept it.

"Then fuck me," Sasuke groaned.

"No lube," Naruto repeated, breathless with want.

"Like I care about that, use spit."

Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's neck, overcome with sudden laughter. "So romantic, Sasuke," he said, nipping at a fading bruise. Sasuke caught Naruto's wrist, and took his fingers into his mouth, sucking at them lewdly, as if it were a cock in his mouth. Naruto's member twitched at that thought, and he pulled his fingers from Sasuke's mouth, reaching between them, he pressed two against Sasuke's anus. They slipped in slowly, and Sasuke let out a deep groan.

"Fuck, Naruto, I need your cock in me," Sasuke said. His eyes were half lidded as they locked with Naruto's. Naruto watched as pleasure and pain danced across Sasuke's face as he slowly fucked him with his fingers. He tried to spread them, but Sasuke's ass was tight and resistant.

"Please, Naruto," Sasuke moaned.

It was too much to take, Sasuke looked so wanton and fuckable; Naruto had to have him. He tugged his fingers out of Sasuke's tight ass, and lined his cock up. The head pressed against Sasuke's hole for a long moment before pushing its way in. slowly, painfully slowly, Naruto sank into Sasuke. Under him, Sasuke writhed, his breath coming in sobbing gasps. His eyes were wet, and his cheeks flushed. Still, his legs wrapped around Naruto's hips, and his hands gripped Naruto's shoulders so tightly that his fingernails dug into the skin, drawing blood.

Naruto let out a long groan as he finally sank all the way into Sasuke. They clung together panting as Sasuke got used to the invasion, and Naruto became accustomed to the tightness engulfing his cock from root to tip, squeezing him tightly, and sending pleasure tingling to his balls.

They remained locked together, not moving, as they exchanged kisses and caresses again. Only it felt a million times more intimate. When Naruto started to move, it was a barely perceptible shifting of his hips; not really thrusting, more like shifting inside Sasuke. Nevertheless, it caused pleasure to course through his cock; Sasuke was trembling and moaning against him, occasionally letting out a breathy "yes," or "Naruto."

Naruto's movements became more defined. Sasuke's hands trailed down his back, tracing the shifting muscles as he pulled his cock half way out before sliding it in again.

Naruto had buried his face in Sasuke's neck, kissing and licking. He raised his head and looked deep into Sasuke's eyes. He was close, he could feel it; Sasuke was so tight, every thrust felt like heaven and hell all at once. Sasuke's cock was hard as rock between them; he wouldn't last long, either.

"You really meant what you said, didn't you?" Naruto found himself asking softly.

"Every word, I swear it. I love you, Naruto."

Naruto let out a soft sob, and began moving again, pressing his lips against Sasuke's kissing him deeply. "I love you," he murmured between kisses; "I love you, I love you, I love you."

Sasuke let out a cry, and arched his back. His nails dug into Naruto's flesh, raking lines down his back. Naruto could feel his cock between them twitching as he came, the dampness of his seed on his stomach. Sasuke's ass tightened around his cock, and with a cry of Sasuke's name he was coming, long and hard.

For a while they lay there, naked, still joined, kissing.

Coldness eventually had them reluctantly parting, slipping back into their clothing. It was dark outside, and Naruto wondered how they were going to get across the sheep field without picking up half a tonne of dung on the bottom of their shoes. It didn't really matter though, he reflected as he and Sasuke walked hand in hand out of the church. The moon was almost full, and shining down on them brightly. It didn't matter how much shit the world slung at them; Sasuke was his.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I had wanted to update this sooner, but I've been very busy...I'm hoping to get the next chapter done and up by the end of the weekend, but I'm not making any promises at the moment, just keeping my fingers crossed ^^**

**Once again, huge thanks go to all who have reviewed, and especialy to those who give feed back after every chapter, I love that you are sticking with this story, and I love to see what you all think :)**

Chapter Nine

_July 16__th__ – 1 Month and 30 days to the Wedding_

Sasuke lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, taking the moment to study Naruto's sleeping form. The blond was still out cold, lying on his back with his hair mussed and his mouth open. An occasional grunting snore came from his mouth, and there was something that Sasuke thought was dried drool stuck to his cheek. Sasuke, God help him, found the sight damn adorable. Naruto let out a particularly loud grunt, and rolled onto his side. His arm draped around Sasuke's waist, and Sasuke felt powerless to resist as his sleeping lover pulled him close.

Really, Naruto was starting to effect his judgement badly. The whole thing in the church last night had been a mad impulse that had quickly gotten out of control. His ass and back ached, and the scratches he had left on Naruto's back and shoulders stood out in painful relief against the blond's skin. Though Sasuke had to admit that he liked marking Naruto, liked knowing that the scratches were there. Still, it had been a sort of madness that had led him to say those things. True though they were, admitting them out loud made the fact that he and Naruto couldn't be together properly all the more painful. He wouldn't unsay them, though; he couldn't. He loved Naruto so much it hurt; as he looked at the sleeping blond, his heart felt as if it was on fire with the passion he held for him.

Then there was Sakura; Sasuke turned his thoughts to his fiancée in the same way as one might probe a broken tooth. Touching it hurt, but there was a compulsion to poke at it all the same. He had hurt her feelings in his panic, something he had never meant to do. True, her sudden attack had been unexpected, but now he thought about it, it did make sense. Why wouldn't she want to…become physical with her fiancé? As far as Sakura was aware, Sasuke was straight, and wanted to marry her. Why wait the two months to the wedding?

But Sasuke had panicked. The idea of having to…become physical with her had always been there in the back of his mind, but he had ignored it. Sakura had thrust the concept in his face, figuratively and literally, and he had reached a disturbing conclusion. He didn't think that he would be able to do it, and not just because she was a girl, although that certainly didn't help matters. He was fond of her, as he would be with a sister; it would be like sleeping with his sister, and the concept revolted him. It made him wonder how Naruto was different; he had known Naruto all his life, grown up with him; if anyone should feel like a sibling to him, it would be Naruto. Yet, Sasuke had never thought of him that way. Or if he had, puberty had quashed any familial feelings, then stamped on them until they died.

He wondered if it would be so bad to tell Sakura. He imagined the speech; _I'm sorry, but I see you as a sister, so having sex is gross and incestuous. Oh, I'm also gay and in love with Naruto, but lets get married anyway, because my dad will kill us all if we don't._ Sakura would likely kill him if said that to her. She saw him as a lover, not a brother.

Regardless of how he felt about her, he needed to apologise, in a way that ensured that they avoided any physical intimacy until the wedding. He still had two months to figure out how he was going to manage that part of the marriage. Alcohol had been his best plan so far, but since the flaws included him being rendered incapable of doing anything, or accidently saying Naruto's name, he was reluctant to go with that.

He pulled his thoughts away from Sakura for the moment, and turned them back to Naruto instead. The blond shifted in his sleep, burying his face in Sasuke's chest. Sasuke ran his hands through the sleep tangled hair, admiring the golden colour. He would need to wake Naruto soon. He had snuck in last night, and questions would be asked if he just showed up at breakfast. Unless of course they said that Naruto had arrived early to continue working on the advertising project. He would rather not be so blatant about them using his study as a base of operations. Sasuke wasn't sure what Fugaku thought about him setting up what was essentially the competition in their house. He knew; Sasuke was sure he knew, but as yet he hadn't actually said anything about it. Maybe he was hoping to use Naruto and Sasuke working together to get his hands on shares of _Hokage_; Minato's independence from anything Uchiha had always irked him.

Naruto's eyes opened, bleary with sleep. He looked up at Sasuke, and his face lit up. Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, stunned all over again by his lover. Naruto reached up, and pulled him down into a languid kiss.

After the previous night, it felt more intense. Sasuke felt that he could just spend eternity right there, his body tangled with Naruto's.

"What time is it?" Naruto murmured against his lips.

Sasuke reluctantly pulled away to glance at the clock. "Seven thirty. Still early," he said.

"Hmm, wanna order pizza and see what Hinata and Juugo have done with our script?"

Sasuke grimaced. "Where do you order pizza from at seven thirty in the morning?" Sasuke didn't think that he could eat pizza for breakfast in any case. He was more of a toast person.

Naruto giggled. "Good point. I don't suppose you have frozen pizza in the kitchen?"

"My mother's chief's will skewer you if you even suggest that any of the meals they prepare are ready made. Have cheese on toast and pretend."

Naruto sighed deeply, and pushed aside the covers. Sasuke watched him walk naked to the bathroom, an appreciative smile on his face. Naruto had a very nice ass.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

They went straight to the study; Naruto was really eager to get back to work. Sasuke loved seeing him like this, but was a bit miffed, as he had wanted shower sex; his ass still ached enough to make penetration seem like a bad idea, but there was plenty of other things he could think of to do. Unfortunately, Naruto was half dressed by the time Sasuke made it to the shower. Sasuke gave up on the idea. For now, anyway.

Naruto made them coffee, and began shifting through the papers. He looked so studious, and for a brief moment Sasuke wondered what he would look like in glasses. He shook the image out of his head before he could slip into some sort of student/teacher fantasy, and left Naruto to his papers to go in search of some toast for breakfast.

As he approached Sakura's room, he remembered that he owed her an apology. Her door was slightly ajar, and he could hear her voice within. Strangely curious, Sasuke forgot his hunger and edged closer, wondering who she was talking to.

Sakura was stood in front of a tall mirror; Sasuke didn't think that he had ever been in her room before. She still had a room over at her parents place, but since they had become engaged she had spent most of her time at the Uchiha mansion. Her room was testament to this; pink was the main colour scheme; the walls were a very pale pink, with the skirting painted a dusky rose. A large wall hanging of a Sakura tree covered one wall. Even the carpet was pink. Sasuke wondered when she had decorated the place, and sensed his mother's involvement.

She seemed to be practicing facial expressions. She would pout, then widen her eyes in a display of innocence, before smiling brightly. Then the pout came again; first seductive, then with a trembling lip, and a tear forming in one eye.

"Maybe I should try for clingier," she muttered to herself, "but I doubt that I could get any clingier." She bit her lip, and tears formed in her eyes again.

Sasuke didn't have a clue what she was doing. He decided that the apology could probably wait for later, and was backing away when Sakura turned around and saw him. Her eyes widened.

"Sasuke? How long have you been there?"

"I was just passing…what were you doing?" it was cowardly, to avoid getting straight into the apology, but he really did want to know.

She frowned, then flushed bright red. "Oh, the mirror thing? I was rehearsing for a play."

"A play?" Sasuke hadn't heard that Sakura was in a play; he hadn't even been aware that she was into that sort of thing.

"Yeah…well, not rehearsing exactly. I'm practicing for an audition. It's going to be after the wedding, and I thought that it might be fun." She grinned at him, but there was a certain desperation in her green eyes that had Sasuke even more curious.

"What's the play about?" He asked, stalling.

"Uhh, it's about this girl, who is being made to marry someone she doesn't love. She's in love with someone else, but she can't be with him."

"Oh." Sasuke's curiosity was doused by the similarity to his own situation. "Listen, Sakura. I wanted to apologise about last night."

"Oh, that." Her cheeks flushed a deeper red. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I may have had a glass or three of wine to help with my confidence. It was a stupid idea, and you're right. It's better to wait."

"Oh. OK." Sasuke was at a loss as to what to say next. He wondered why things with Sakura were so hard. Things were so much easier with Naruto, even with the arguments.

Sakura smiled at him, and placed her hand on his cheek, but her eyes looked sad. "You do love me, don't you Sasuke, more than anyone else?"

Sasuke knew he had to say something; he couldn't leave her hanging. And they were only words. "I do," he managed to get the lie out, and he wondered why it felt like he was betraying both Naruto and Sakura in the same breath.

Sakura's eyes held his for a moment, as if she was trying to find something. They didn't look happy. Then she smiled, a broad beam.

"I have to go," Sasuke said, moving back.

Sakura's hand dropped to her side, clenching into a fist. The smile remained on her face. "Ok. I need to grab you later for some wedding stuff, though."

Sasuke nodded, then hurried away. He ducked into a side room, shutting the door, and leaning against it. He felt sick. His heart was racing, and not in a good way. Which was ridiculous; in two months time he would be saying the same lie to a room full of people, he didn't know why this should be any different, yet it was. The thought of Naruto ever finding out almost had him vomiting.

"Naruto is the one I love, not Sakura," he found himself mumbling aloud, as if that would take the words back. "Naruto. I love Naruto." The words were somehow comforting, as he felt the truth of them.

He remained in the dark room for some minutes, until he felt his equilibrium return. He ducked out, and headed towards the dining room, hoping that there would be some breakfast left.

He found Naruto sat at the table, eating scrambled eggs, and joking with his cousin Obito. He grinned as he saw Sasuke.

"Where did you vanish to?" Naruto asked, "I got bored of waiting and came to find you."

Sasuke shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. "I ran into Sakura, and she wanted to talk wedding stuff."

As he had hoped, this stalled any further questions; Naruto just snorted, and turned his attention back to his eggs.

Obito rose, waving a cheery good bye, and Sasuke took his seat. There were still cooling breakfast foods arranged on the table, but Sasuke found that he had no appetite. He watched as a silent maid gathered up Obito's dishes, bobbing in a slight curtsey before moving back to the kitchen.

"Not eating anything?" Naruto asked.

"Not hungry," Sasuke replied. He poured himself a glass of orange juice, and sipped at it as Naruto finished his eggs.

Sasuke longed to hold Naruto, to reaffirm their bond, but while they were the only two diners, the staff moved around the room, silent and dignified, cleaning away the breakfast things. But no matter how well they blended into the background, Sasuke knew they weren't above gossiping to their friends and families.

Naruto seemed to take an age to finish his food. Occasionally he would shoot Sasuke a puzzled glance, but he didn't say anything. By the time they reached the door to the study, Sasuke was practically bouncing with the need to kiss Naruto. He needed to feel Naruto against him, see the emotion in his eyes, hear him say I love you. It was too much to bear; he knew that they were alone in the corridor, and he was prepared to take the chance. He pushed Naruto against the door, pressing his lips against the startled blond's. Naruto must have forgotten to lock the door. The weight of the two men against it pushed it open, and they tumbled into the room. Naruto landed on his back, Sasuke on top of Naruto. Naruto's arms tightened around Sasuke's back, and with a soft moan, Sasuke slid his tongue into Naruto's mouth, feeling Naruto's tongue tangling against his own, and very glad that they hadn't done this before falling through the door.

"Oh my!"

Sasuke wrenched away from Naruto, looking up to find a pink faced Hinata sat with Juugo at one of the desks. He lowered his head to Naruto's chest with a groan, wishing that the floor would swallow them both up. Though he supposed that it could have been worse; Hinata did already know about them, and Juugo wasn't the sort to tell anyone. He was just glad that Karin wasn't there.

"Holy fuck, that was hot!"

Sasuke groaned again. Naruto, damn him, was laughing. Sasuke pushed himself up, gathering the tattered remains of his dignity. Karin was perched on one of the desks next to Suigetsu, who was grinning, flashing off his horrendous teeth. He had filed them all into sharp points; Sasuke had never asked why because he was sure that the answer would disturb him. Still, Suigetsu was loyal, which was just as well, really.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, "Its Saturday."

Karin shrugged, pushing her glasses up her nose. "We were bored," she said.

"I wanted to go over the script with you and Naruto," Hinata added quietly.

Naruto sat up next to him, his giggles under control. "Wow," he said, "They're pretty amazing staff, coming in to work at the weekend. Especially since we don't pay them anything." He stood up, and walked over to a pile of boxes taking up one corner. "Are these the posters?" He asked, ripping one open before anyone could answer him. "Oooh, Sasuke, come and look!"

The other's crowded around as well, eager to see the fruits of their labours. Sasuke and Naruto's little display seemed to have been swept under the carpet. Sasuke wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed; he had expected a bit more of a reaction.

Sasuke hung back as they cooed over the posters, a small smile on his face. Naruto was loving it; he seemed to have become more alive, and he had always been full of life to begin with. He had managed to pull the others in, as he always seemed to do; even Suigetsu was enthusiastic. The dream came back; what if they could do this, build up a business between them; with the combination of Uchiha, Hyuuga and Uzumaki, they would be a force to be reckoned with, even if Fugaku worked against them.

The dream unfurled in front of him, colourful and bright; he could be with Naruto, really be with him. Of course, Hiashi might not be best pleased to find out that Hinata was spending most of her time working for the Uchiha. He wouldn't see it as working with Naruto, since they were based at the Uchiha mansion. Even taking her on as an equal partner would not appease the Hyuuga patriarch. Hyuuga did not work. And his own father would hardly stand by and wave as Sasuke abandoned his birthright. The thought of Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuuga out for their blood had Sasuke ruthlessly crushing the fantasy back down.

He dutifully admired the posters, and flicked through the script, but his enthusiasm had turned sour. Thankfully, only Naruto seemed to notice, and he didn't say anything in front of the others.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It wasn't until hours later that they were alone again; the whole day had begun to grate on Sasuke's nerves. He still needed to wash the taste of the words he had said to Sakura out of his mouth, and bury the crumbling shreds of his hopes. Only Naruto could do that, but Naruto was far too caught up in his project. Which Sasuke loved. Still, he really wanted Naruto all to himself. It was selfish, but it was something he needed, like oxygen.

Even though they were alone, Naruto's attention was still focused on things not Sasuke. He was sat on Sasuke's bed, using the Uchiha's laptop to scout out the cheapest recording studio for their radio ad. Sasuke lay next to him, watching as Naruto frowned at the laptop screen.

"You know," Naruto said suddenly, making Sasuke jump, "I'm surprised that you're not freaking about Karin and the others knowing about us.

Sasuke snorted. He was slightly surprised himself; he supposed he actually had some people outside of Itachi and Naruto that he trusted. "Judging by their reactions, they already knew," he said. "I doubt that they'll say anything now; they've had plenty of opportunity to do so, and they haven't."

Naruto clicked the laptop shut, and placed it on the floor next to the bed. He lay down on his side, facing Sasuke, and took a strand of black hair between his fingers. "Are you sad it's going to be over soon?" he asked.

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't trust himself to say anything.

"Well, I am. I'm going to miss it. Even if I take on a new job for my dad, or become a manager like he wants, I'm going to miss working with you and the others. It's been fun."

Sasuke found himself wishing that there was some way to drag out the project. It was a nothing task, really, compared to the different things that he had to do as heir to the Uchiha, but it was so much more enjoyable. For the first time, he had colleagues, friends. His lover. "Why stop at radio advertising," he found himself saying. "We could do a TV advert, too." Sasuke didn't know the first thing about film, but judging by the way Naruto's face lit up, it had been the right thing to say.

"That would be amazing!" Naruto said. "You and Hinata could star in it."

"Or maybe we could hire real actors," Sasuke cut in. He could imagine the Uchiha patriarch's reaction to him becoming the face of Hokage. He expected that his Hyuuga counterpart would feel similarly. Plus, Hinata's acting skills wouldn't be winning her an Oscar anytime soon.

"That's far too expensive. Besides, you're better looking than most actors out there, and Hinata's cute, if you're into girls. We should definitely work on it when I get back."

Sasuke frowned, his reawakened enthusiasm curtailed. "Back from where?"

Naruto's face took on an expression that Sasuke rarely saw; he looked guilty. "Oh, I sort of agreed to launch the posters and stuff in some out of town stores," Naruto said.

"You can't; I need you here." Sasuke's reaction was from his gut, and the words out before he really thought about them. "I mean, with the wedding coming up; you're the best man, and there's lots of…stuff to do." He added hastily in justification.

From the look on Naruto's face, he clearly saw through Sasuke's facade, and wasn't pleased with him using the wedding as an excuse. "Yeah, well I'll only be gone a week or two so-"

"Two weeks?" Sasuke was horrified at the idea of two weeks without Naruto.

"At the absolute most. It may be less." Naruto reached out a hand to Sasuke's face, running his fingers down his cheek. "I'll miss you, but I have to do this." Clearly he had already made up his mind before he even considered telling Sasuke anything about it.

"When are you going?" The question was surprisingly hard to say.

"In a couple of days, once the radio ad is complete," was the reply.

"Oh." Sasuke wanted to beg Naruto not to go, or demand that he stay, but he knew what Naruto's response would be. And he knew that it would be selfish and childish. Still, he had to work to keep the words down.

Naruto watched him, his lips quirking slightly in a hastily quashed grin, as if he knew exactly what Sasuke was thinking. His hand was still on Sasuke's cheek. He used it to pull Sasuke into a kiss. For a brief, petulant moment, Sasuke considered pulling away, but then Naruto's lips were pressed against his own, Naruto's tongue sliding sensuously into his mouth, and he was lost to any sort of resistance.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The days until Naruto left passed far too quickly for Sasuke's liking, and with not enough time spent together. He wondered if this was how Naruto felt with the build up to the wedding, and was almost sick with guilt. He hated that he was hurting Naruto, but he had no choice. The words sounded hollow as they echoed through his mind; no choice, no choice, no choice. It was enough to give him a headache, if he didn't already have one of such potency that he thought his brain was going to liquidise and pour out of his ears at any minute.

Naruto would be leaving first thing in the morning. The radio ad was recorded, and would be airing in the next few days on several local radio stations. Naruto was going to take copies with him to go to other stations across the country; he even had an interview lined up.

Naruto, Hinata and the others were busy going over a brief plan for the TV commercial. Since media was the one pie Fugaku didn't really have a finger in, Sasuke wasn't really sure how one went about planning and making a commercial, and the others knew even less. Still, they had jumped on the idea with gusto when Naruto presented it to them. Sasuke was pretty sure that his security team had been ruined by the whole experience. The plan was for Sasuke and the team, as Naruto had begun to call them, to work on costing the TV commercial while Naruto was away; they would start the real work of producing it when he got back.

And while the team were busy occupying what little time Naruto had before he left, Sasuke was left with Sakura. She had found him that afternoon with a pile of holiday brochures and a determined look on her face; they had to book the honeymoon now, she insisted. It was one of the things that Sasuke had been actively trying not to think about; he had hoped that maybe they could skip it, but his father had graciously given him a whole month off after the wedding to spend time with his new wife.

Sasuke wasn't sure that he would be able to handle that much one on one time with Sakura, and her choices really didn't help. Sasuke supposed that if he had to go away with her, a nice villa in a small town would do. He spoke French and Spanish fluently, and could get by in German and Italian, so Europe would be his first choice. Sakura didn't have any language skills, so he would have to do all the communicating. Maybe he could teach her. Teaching Sakura how to speak French would mean that they weren't doing…other stuff. It would be relaxing. Having Naruto there would make it perfect, but he was pretty sure that Sakura would begin to suspect something if he brought Naruto along on their honeymoon.

Sakura had other ideas. Her first choice was a safari; Sasuke didn't mind animals, but it wasn't like he was particularly fond of them either. The kitten Hinata and Juugo had found was tolerable, but a month of lions and tigers and bears and god knows what else was not his idea of fun. Her second choice was Ibiza. Sasuke liked dancing, and liked going to clubs, but it wasn't exactly what he imagined for a honeymoon destination; more the opposite. Besides, he doubted that Sakura would want to go to the sort of clubs he was interested in.

At least he was learning things about Sakura; he now knew that she liked to act, liked big animals that could kill you, and liked dance music. Which was really bizarre, because he was sure that her CD collection was mostly boy bands.

"What are the other choices," Sasuke asked, putting the first two brochures to one side.

Sakura smiled. "Well, I was also thinking maybe Amsterdam," she said.

"Are you sure you're not confusing it with Venice?"

"No, Amsterdam's in Holland, and Venice is in France," She smiled.

Sasuke decided to drop the conversation before he went cross-eyed. He took the brochure for Amsterdam, and flicked through it; he wondered if she was considering Prague, too. He flicked a quick glance at his watch. 7:30; exactly 12 hours until Naruto left. He took the other brochures from her, and put them in a neat pile.

"Maybe I should have a look through these before we make a decision," he said standing up.

"Ok, but we still need to finalise-"

Sasuke faked a yawn. "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit tired."

Sakura's puzzled frown suggested that she didn't see why that should matter. He supposed that being tired would work better as an excuse if he didn't regularly work into the night when he was caught up with something. He let out a few coughs.

"And I think I'm coming down with something," he coughed again. "I should rest; I can't be ill for the wedding."

He dashed out before Sakura could come up with a comeback. Ever since he had said those words to her, she had become clingier. The last thing he wanted was for her to try to give him a good night kiss. Though he could have used germs as an excuse. He hurried up to his room, dumping the brochures in the corner, before pulling his phone out to call Naruto.

It began ringing before Sasuke pressed call. Naruto had been playing with it again; _Don't Cha _by the Pussycat Dolls began playing before Sasuke hit answer.

"Subtle," he said.

"I thought so; is Sakura there?"

"No, I'm alone."

"Oh. Well don't change it just yet, ok."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, momentarily forgetting that he was on the phone. "Where are you?" He asked.

"Just coming up to your room now, where are you?"

Sasuke didn't reply. He dropped the phone and wrenched the door open, revealing a startled Naruto in the doorway, his phone still held to his ear. Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the arm and pulled him in, kicking the door shut as he pinned Naruto against it, kissing him hungrily. He felt Naruto's arms wrap around him, one hand slipping up his back underneath his shirt. He moaned, untangling one hand to turn the key in the lock.

Then they were moving , Naruto controlling their steps, still kissing. Sasuke felt the backs of his legs connecting with something; Naruto gave him a small shove, and he found himself lying across the bed, panting heavily as his body demanded oxygen. He looked up, staring into Naruto's eyes, and his heart clenched. He felt his love for Naruto pulsing through his body, a raging fire that threatened to consume him. He was suddenly hit with a mad urge to grab Naruto and run; he didn't care where, just away.

He sat up, pulling Naruto down on top of him, kissing him to stop himself from giving voice to the notion. It was impossible, but he wanted it so damn much. His back hit the bed again, Naruto's hands were under his shirt; caressing, teasingly pinching a nipple. His mouth was hot as it trailed a line down Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke tore at Naruto's shirt, desperate to take it off. It ripped loudly, and Sasuke discarded the ruined material, groaning as his fingers sank into warm flesh.

"I liked that top," Naruto complained against Sasuke's throat.

"I prefer you naked," Sasuke replied, his hands trailing to the waistband of Naruto's jeans. Naruto rolled off of him, hurriedly stripping before Sasuke could ruin any more of his clothing. Sasuke took the opportunity to slither out of his own clothes, and when Naruto rolled back to him they were both naked. Sasuke let out a sigh at the feeling of Naruto's skin next to his. He was going to miss this the most, he decided. More than the sex, the feeling of Naruto's naked body pressed against his, hearts beating together, faces so close they were sharing one breath.

"I love you," he breathed, burying his face in Naruto's throat. The words were easier to say each time, and felt truer every time he said them. He kissed the pulse in Naruto's throat as Naruto's hands traced gentle lines down his sides. Sasuke sucked and bit at the flesh under his mouth, wanting to mark Naruto, to claim him as his own. He moved his lips higher, attacking the flesh under Naruto's ear; he didn't care if anyone saw, he wanted anyone who looked at his lover while he was away to know that he was taken. He sank his teeth into Naruto at the sudden thought of anyone looking at him with lust, jealousy twisting in his gut. Naruto cried out, and Sasuke tasted blood on his tongue.

Naruto pulled his head away from Sasuke's reach, cupping his face and looking down at him.

"Shit Sasuke," he said, "What are you, a vampire?"

A small line of blood ran down his neck, and several bruises were darkening around his throat. Sasuke supposed that he might have got a little bit carried away, but he couldn't help smirking a bit at the sight. Naruto wouldn't be able to look in a mirror when he was away without thinking of Sasuke.

"Maybe I am a vampire," he said, "but that would make you my thrall."

Naruto snorted, slipping a hand onto Sasuke's thigh. He caressed the inside, high enough that his knuckles brushed against Sasuke's balls, before trailing down to his knee. Sasuke gasped at the pleasure that tingled through him at Naruto's caress.

"How do you figure that?" Naruto asked, kissing him briefly, his hand trailing maddeningly up and down the inside of Sasuke's thigh.

"Well, I bit you. That makes you my human slave."

"Really? I thought that it would turn me into you immortal child and lover."

They both stared at each other as they mulled over that concept.

"Ok, that sounded grosser out loud than it did in my head." Naruto leaned down to nip at Sasuke's throat, his mouth trailing a line down Sasuke's chest and stomach. Sasuke let out a soft moan as Naruto avoided his cock, just brushing it with his cheek as he kissed and licked the route that his hand had taken, pausing to nibble at the backs of Sasuke's knees.

Sasuke tangled his fingers in Naruto's hair, feeling the soft blond locks brush against his palms. "Naruto, I need…" he breathed out.

"I know," Naruto replied, his lips still pressed against Sasuke's skin, so he could feel the words as well as hear them. "I just need to get some memories of you to last me the next couple of weeks."

His mouth moved to Sasuke's other leg, his tongue tracing sensuous patterns. Sasuke's body felt like it was on fire; his cock and balls ached with desire, and he yearned to be filled, to be connected intimately with Naruto. It was worse than normal, the knowledge hanging darkly in the back of his mind that they would be apart soon. Only for two weeks, but even one day seemed too long for Sasuke; he needed Naruto, it was almost like an addiction.

Naruto's mouth trailed higher, and Sasuke almost sobbed with frustration when it bypassed his cock again, instead exploring his navel. He tried to push Naruto's head lower, but the blond resisted, his hands reaching up to pinch Sasuke's nipples as his mouth explored his toned stomach. Sasuke writhed and moaned, his hands tightening in Naruto's hair. He could feel Naruto's mouth twitching in a smile against his skin.

"Please, Naruto," he found himself begging; the words slipping out on their own volition.

Naruto nipped at his stomach before trailing his mouth lower again, past Sasuke's cock, damn him; instead his lips pressed gentle teasing kisses on Sasuke's balls. The soft touches sent shivers through Sasuke; it wasn't enough, he wanted more.

As if reading his mind, Naruto took one testicle into his mouth, sucking gently on it. Sasuke cried out in pleasure as Naruto's tongue explored the ball in his mouth. Naruto released it, and gave the same treatment to the other in a way that had Sasuke gasping and moaning. His mouth then moved lower still, tongue teasing at Sasuke's perineum as he cupped Sasuke's balls in one hand and gently rolled them. Sasuke took one hand away from its death grip in Naruto's hair to cover his mouth. Naruto was clearly trying to kill him with pleasure. His cock was so hard he was sure that the slightest touch to it would have him coming. His whole body ached with need, from the hairs in his head to his toenails.

Naruto raised his head to look at Sasuke; his blue eyes seemed several shades darker, intense and stormy. His grin was pure sin as he slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to the aching red tip of Sasuke's cock. A whimper escaped Sasuke's lips as Naruto's tongue snaked out to lap at the pre-come leaking out of the head. The touch seemed to fry Sasuke's nerves; then Naruto took his entire length into his mouth, clamping down on it and sucking hard. Sasuke screamed as he came, his hips arching off the bed. He felt Naruto moan as he shot down his throat.

Instead of pulling off his cock, Naruto kept Sasuke's softened length in his mouth, gently sucking at the sensitised flesh. Sasuke was subjected to a new agony as Naruto slowly, patiently sucked him back to hardness, the ache of need returning a hundred fold.

As he sucked Sasuke's cock, his hands reached out, grabbing a tube of lube from the bedside cabinet. He waited until Sasuke was half hard before sliding one slick finger into his ass. Sasuke moaned as his prostate was found with instant accuracy, and gently massaged in time with Naruto's tongue sliding around his dick.

When Sasuke was fully hard, Naruto slipped another lubed finger into Sasuke's hole. Sasuke felt lost in pleasure at that point; he couldn't think, couldn't articulate, all he was was what Naruto made him, everything focused on the pleasure twisting in his stomach.

Naruto removed his mouth from Sasuke's cock. Sasuke let out a small whimper of protest that was stifled by Naruto's mouth on his. He could taste himself on Naruto's tongue as it pressed against his own. Naruto's fingers continued to pump slowly inside him, occasionally scissoring apart, slowly stretching him. A third finger slipped in easily. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto, digging his fingers into his back. There was a slight sting as Naruto pushed a fourth finger into Sasuke; Sasuke's moan of protest was stifled against Naruto's mouth. His ass ached from being so full, but it was a good ache. With every slow thrust of Naruto's fingers into him, Sasuke felt Naruto's thumb, the only digit left to breach him, press against the stretched flesh of his anus. He pushed up against the next trust, feeling the tip slip inside. He groaned. Still, it wasn't enough. He wanted Naruto's cock inside him, buried deep.

Naruto's fingers slipped out of his ass, leaving Sasuke feeling painfully empty. Naruto broke the kiss, staring deep into Sasuke's eyes as he sheathed his cock deep inside Sasuke's ass. They both moaned at the sensation. Naruto began moving, deep, slow thrusts that had them both gasping. Sasuke locked his legs around Naruto's waist.

Naruto was saying his name over and over again; his thrusts sped up, claiming Sasuke over and over again. All Sasuke could do was cling on; he wasn't going to last, it felt too good, but at the same time, he wanted it to last forever. He kissed every part of Naruto he could reach; his chest and neck, his face. Naruto pressed their foreheads together, staring deep into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke felt lost in that blue gaze; drowning, flying, choking, incinerated. Naruto's eyes freed him and caged him all at once.

The pleasure coursing through him mounted, higher and higher, flaying him with its intensity. It peaked, and all Sasuke could see was blue. He heard a scream, and knew it was his voice, but couldn't seem to stop it. He was trembling in Naruto's arms, his throat sore as Naruto continued to thrust into him, each thrust sending another small wave of pleasure through him. By the time Naruto came, deep and long with a sobbing cry, Sasuke was trembling and hard again, though he wasn't sure if he was physically capable of coming again anytime soon.

Naruto's cock remained inside him as they kissed, and was still inside when Sasuke drifted into sleep. He didn't know if it was minutes or hours later, but he woke up to Naruto slowly making love to him.

"What are you trying to do to me," he murmured in Naruto's ear, having rediscovered his powers of speech.

"I told you, I want to remember how your body feels, how you tense around me, how you shudder at my touch. I've become far too used to having as much Sasuke as I want."

Sasuke arched into Naruto languidly. The pleasure was different, softer. Still intense, but there was no urgency. Sasuke felt like he could do this all night, locked in Naruto's embrace, staring into his eyes.

"I love you," Sasuke said, cupping Naruto's cheek with one hand, "more than anyone else. More than anything else." He pulled Naruto down into a kiss.

Sasuke didn't know how long they made love like that; it could have been minutes or hours, he lost all concept of time apart from now. They came together, their bodies in harmony. The orgasm seemed to last an eternity, pleasure coursing through every inch of Sasuke's body. He was left panting, half crushed by Naruto, who collapsed on top of him.

After a few minutes, Sasuke poked Naruto in the ribs to make sure that he didn't fall asleep on him. Naruto let out a sleepy grunt, but rolled off of him. He lay on his side, and Sasuke rolled over to face him.

"What time is it?" Naruto murmured softly.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at the clock, reluctantly reacquainting himself with the concept of time. "Crap; it's late. Ten past two."

Naruto let out a groan. "Really? Shit, I haven't packed yet."

Sasuke stared at him incredulously. "Seriously? What were you doing all day today?"

Naruto shrugged. "Work. I guess I should go soon." But he didn't make any attempt to move.

"I don't want you to go," Sasuke found himself saying.

Naruto looked him directly in the eyes. "I don't want you to get married," he replied.

Sasuke sighed. Naruto's comment was supposed to rile him, he knew by the look on Naruto's face. But he couldn't find the anger; he didn't want to get married either. He remembered the afternoon with Sakura, a small shudder going through him. A sudden thought struck him, and he spoke on a whim.

"Where would you take me on honeymoon?" He asked.

Naruto sat up, a frown darkening his face. "What sort of question is that?"

Sasuke suddenly realised how tactless his question had been. "I was just curious," He said, trying to downplay it, though he suddenly really wanted to know where Naruto would take him. "Sakura wants to go on a safari."

Naruto's frown dissolved in a snort of laughter at that. "I'm sure all the mosquitoes and dung will be very romantic." He said.

Sasuke rolled over to stare at the ceiling. "Yeah." He said. "I didn't even know that she liked animals that much. She's always freaking out over moths. Don't they have giant moths in Africa?"

"I really wouldn't know."

"So, hypothetically, where would you take me on a romantic holiday?" Sasuke turned to look at Naruto again, craning his neck slightly. He wished that Naruto would lie back down.

Naruto actually seemed to be considering the question this time."Hmm. I don't know. Where would you want to go?"

"Somewhere warm, but not too hot." Sasuke replied instantly, a smile spreading on his face. Sakura never asked what he wanted.

"By the sea," Naruto added, "but not a big resort. Somewhere peaceful. Ooh, Greece would be nice."

Sasuke smiled. Greece would be nice. Though honestly, anywhere would be nice as long as Naruto was there. "Why can't I be marrying you?" The words left his mouth before he realised what he was saying. Obviously some of the neurons that connected his brain to his mouth were still fried.

Naruto's expression was carefully blank. "Because you're a stubborn bastard with daddy issues?" He said. The blank expression dissolved into one of naked need, as his blue eyes fixed on Sasuke's face. "Cancel the wedding, Sasuke. It's not too late. Come with me tomorrow; once we've done the tour of the stores we can go away for a bit, to Greece if you want, or anywhere."

Sasuke stared, not really seeing anything. He wanted it so badly it hurt.

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto continued, "you know that it won't work with her; she wants you to go on a frickin safari for your honeymoon."

"You're not wrong," Sasuke said, his voice echoing hollowly in his ears, "but I still have to-"

"Don't. Just don't." Naruto sprang off of the bed, and stalked into the bathroom. Sasuke heard the shower start up a few moments later. He rolled onto his side, curling up in the foetal position. He couldn't blame Naruto for being mad at him; he sort of hated himself, too. But there wasn't anything he could do; if he went to his father and explained that he couldn't marry Sakura because he was in love with Naruto, Fugaku Uchiha would laugh in his face. Well, he wouldn't laugh, Fugaku rarely laughed, but the sentiment would be there. Uchiha didn't marry for love. He had a duty to his family.

Sasuke buried his face in a pillow that smelled of Naruto and wept, feeling despair welling up inside him.

He didn't hear Naruto come out of the bathroom, so he was startled when a hand was placed on his head.

"Stupid bloody stubborn bastard," Naruto growled. "Why are you doing this to yourself, to us?"

"Because at least this way I can tell my father that I tried. I don't want anyone getting hurt, but I'm hurting you all the time, and I…"

Naruto pulled him into a fierce hug. He was naked and wet from his shower. Sasuke gripped tightly onto him never wanting to let him go. _The day of the wedding is going to be a million times harder than this,_ a small voice whispered in the back of his mind. Sasuke ignored it.

"I have to go," Naruto murmured into Sasuke's hair.

Childishly, Sasuke gripped him tighter. As if physically holding onto Naruto would bind him to Sasuke, when every day he continued to plan the wedding, he was letting Naruto go.

Naruto eventually extracted himself from Sasuke. Sasuke watched as he rooted around for his clothing. His shirt was ruined, so he took one of Sasuke's. He located his phone, and Sasuke's, on the floor. Naruto slid his own phone into the back pocket of his jeans, and placed Sasuke's beside the bed. Sasuke watched all of this numbly, trying to find something to say, but the words wouldn't come. When Naruto was fully dressed, he turned to face Sasuke.

"Are you going to be alright to drive in the morning?" Sasuke asked, hoping that the answer was no, that Naruto would stay the night.

"I'll be fine. It's only a couple of hours drive, then I get to rest in the hotel for a bit. The first presentation is at one." Naruto paused, as if trying to find something else to say. "I love you," he said finally, his eyes echoing the emotion.

"I love you, too. I'll miss you." Sasuke wanted to throw himself from the bed, and take Naruto into his arms, kissing him into submission, but he felt frozen to the spot.

Naruto grinned. Not his normal sunny smile, but it still warmed Sasuke. He knelt on the bed, and pulled Sasuke into a lingering kiss. "I'll miss you, too." He said. "I'll call you when I get there."

He vanished out of the window before Sasuke could think of anything more to say. Sasuke sat on the bed for a long while, filthy with dried sweat and come, staring at the space where Naruto had stood. _I'm empty without him,_ Sasuke thought to himself. He forced himself off of the bed and into the shower. Once he was clean he stripped the bed, piling the dirty sheets to go into the laundry. For a brief, crazy nostalgic moment, he had considered keeping the stained bedding, marked with Naruto's seed. The guy had only been gone two minutes, and Sasuke was already loosing it. This would not do.

Once he had clean sheets on the bed, he located a pen and some paper, and started to write. Dawn was breaking by the time he was done. In that time he had written three separate letters. Two were addressed to Naruto. Sasuke sent a text message, then waited, staring at the two letters for a long time. Finally, he placed one with the third letter, and tucked them under his mattress.

He stared at the letter in his hands, wondering if he was making the right decision. His fingers twitched, and he almost switched them around, when there was a knock at his door. He took it as a sign, and left the two letters where they were. It was probably for the best, anyway. He stood up, and opened the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: First of all, I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter; busy week, coupled with bad stuff happening, coupled with this chapter hating me has led to it just being finished now. I wanted it done a lot earlier, and I feel so bad for not getting it up sooner, but everything seemed to be against me :(**

**Chapter 11 so far has the countdown to the wedding, lol! I'll try and get as much of it done as possible tonight, I want to keep updating this fic regularly, weekly if I can.**

**Big, huge thanks to all who reviewed Chapter Nine. They really helped to motivate me when the words wouldn't come.**

**Oh, and theres a surprise POV at the end :D**

Chapter Ten

_July 21__st__ – 1 Month and 25 days to the Wedding_

Naruto stifled a yawn with the back of his hand as he loaded his suitcase into the boot of his car. Despite all good intentions, he had fallen asleep as soon as he had got back home; in his defence, it was three am by then, and he had to get up at seven at the absolute latest. He had woken up to find that his mum had packed for him, something that was potentially either really good or really bad. He hadn't decided which yet, since he had woken up at twenty past seven, and so had not had the chance to check what she had included.

His breakfast had been two cups of extra strong coffee, and a full thermos sat on the passenger seat of his car. He was seriously regretting his decision to drive, and was envying the Uchiha and their chauffer's. Naruto yawned again; his mind inexorably going back to his lover. He hoped that the time apart would do Sasuke some good. He was actually a bit worried about him; Sasuke had seemed awfully broken last night, and Naruto hated to leave him like that. He had thought that if Sasuke realised how hard being apart would be that he would cancel the wedding, yet the stubborn bastard seemed more determined than ever to go through with it. And hurting more than ever because of it.

Naruto looked up at the sky; the sun had been up for hours, but was concealed by heavy grey clouds. He hoped that the enforced separation worked; he found himself wondering what would happen if Sasuke did go ahead with the wedding. How long would Sasuke be able to keep up the sham marriage? Naruto liked to think that he would be strong enough to stay away from Sasuke; the idea of being his mistress…or whatever the male equivalent was, did not appeal.

Naruto shook himself; there was no point wondering about things like that, because even if Sasuke didn't cancel the wedding, Naruto was going to stop it; there was no way that Sakura, or anyone else for that matter, was having what was his.

Naruto took a swig out of his thermos, wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste. He had maybe gone a little bit over the top on the coffee; it was far thicker than it should be he could still feel the viscous liquid sliding down his throat. He checked the clock on the dashboard before starting the engine; it was eight o'clock, so he wasn't too late.

He slowly started down the driveway. Trying to yawn and keep his eyes open at the same time. A black car pulled up at the end of the drive with a screech of breaks, and someone leaped out of it, charging towards him. For a split second Naruto thought it was Sasuke, but the hair was wrong; long and red, it streamed out behind the person. Who was still charging towards his moving car. Belatedly, Naruto put on the breaks, spilling thick coffee everywhere as the thermos tipped over. The person jumped, and landed on the bonnet of his car with a thud.

Naruto, heart pounding with adrenaline stared into red eyes, which stared back at him impassively. He thought that he might have a heart attack; for an instant he had been sure that he was going to run her over.

Karin smiled, and jumped off of the car, opening the passenger door, and sat down next to Naruto. There were two distinct boot prints on the bonnet of Naruto's car.

Naruto turned his head to stare at her. He wondered if she had come to kill him for defiling her precious Sasuke. He remembered the Sakura doll he had seen with a small shudder. Maybe he should have run her over.

"I think we should take my car," she said, running her fingers through her red hair. She very carefully scooped up a lump of coffee that was sliming its way towards her, and flicked it out of the window.

Naruto blinked, his sleep deprived mind still trying to catch up. "Huh?" he managed. She wasn't trying to kill him, so that was good. What exactly she was trying to do he was still unclear on.

Karin rolled her eyes. "For the journey; my car is bigger. Well, technically it's Sasuke's car, but he told me to take it, and I think that he meant all the way, rather than just here. What did you do to him? He seemed really out of it."

Naruto continued to stare at her. "Huh?"

"Oh, I see, the two of you were up all night shagging. I think it's best if I drive. If you crash and kill us, Sasuke will have me resurrected just so he can kill me again."

Naruto was out of his car, and strapped into the passenger seat of Sasuke's when his brain finally caught up. He spun around in the seat, almost strangling himself with the belt, watching as Karin moved his luggage from his car and deposited it in the boot of Sasuke's. It was one of Sasuke's own cars, he realised, rather than the Uchiha family car that Karin normally drove.

He was still unsure why she was there, and apparently accompanying him. He thought back over her words; despite her irrational hatred of Sakura, she didn't seem to have a problem with Naruto and Sasuke being together, so she wasn't there to harm him in anyway. It sounded like Sasuke had asked her to come with him. He couldn't decide whether Sasuke wanted her to keep him safe, which was stupid because Naruto could take care of himself, or if he had sent her along to make sure that Naruto didn't stray, which was even more ridiculous, as Naruto only had eyes for Sasuke.

Karin slipped into the driver's seat, and started the engine.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" Naruto asked. "Did Sasuke send you to check up on me?"

"You know what, I don't know. He was a bit strange when he summoned me this morning." She spun the car around, punching in a post code on the Sat-Nav. Naruto wondered if he should be freaked out that she knew exactly where he was going.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, strange?" He asked. He was half tempted to tell Karin to swing by the Uchiha mansion, just so he could check on Sasuke, but he was already late, and if he kept on running to Sasuke, the Uchiha would continue to take advantage of him. Being apart was going to be good for Sasuke; Naruto repeated the mantra several times in his head, hoping that this would make it true, that Sasuke would quickly see that he couldn't be without him, and call off the wedding.

"Just…strange." Karin replied. "Different. He said that he didn't want you to be alone, and that I should go with you. He gave me something to give to you, too."

"What did he give you? I was with him last night, why couldn't he give it to me himself?"

Karin shrugged, her eyes fixed on the road. "I didn't ask, and he didn't say. Oh, but he did say not to give it to you straight away."

"What? Why would you tell me about it now, then? I really want to know what it is!"

Karin shrugged again. "I'm just doing what Sasuke asked me to do. Besides, it's in the boot with my stuff, so I couldn't give it to you now, anyway."

Naruto folded his arms and scowled at the road in front of them. He could sense that this was going to be a long journey. He wondered if there was any way of getting rid of Karin after their first stop.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

They reached the hotel only a little later than Naruto had originally planned, mainly due to the fact that Karin drove like a maniac. Naruto hadn't been able to sleep, or even really relax on the journey as he had spent most of it thinking that he was going to die. The next problem became immediately apparent as they checked into the hotel. Only one room was booked. Naruto tried to get a separate room for Karin, but there was a wedding on, and all the other rooms were fully booked. Weddings, Naruto decided, were the bane of his life.

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor," Karin declared.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "My mum will kill me if she knew I let a girl sleep on the floor," he replied. Kushina was all for women's rights, but only when it suited her. She was still played hell with anyone who didn't open doors or do heavy lifting for her. Women shouldn't be chained to the kitchen sink, but men could still damn well lay a patio themselves was her general view. It wasn't equality so much as female superiority. Sometimes, his mum scared him.

They put their bags in their room; Naruto gave Karin a list of all the other hotels he was booked into so she could organise her own rooms. No way was he sleeping on the floor for two weeks. While she was occupied, he called Sasuke.

Sasuke answered the phone with a sleepy grunt. Obviously the bastard had just woken up. Naruto's irritation, which had been at a slow simmer for a while now, exploded.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He hissed.

"Naruto?"

"Why did you think it was a good idea to send Karin with me?"

"I miss you."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?"

"I'm listening." Sasuke's voice sounded more awake, now. "I asked Karin to go with you because I couldn't come myself. I didn't want you to be alone."

"Yeah, well maybe I wanted to be alone."

Sasuke snorted. "You never want to be alone. When we were little you used to call me to keep you company when you were left in a room on your own. One time you called me in tears because your mum had left you in the house while she went outside to do some gardening."

"I was five then!" But Sasuke did sort of have a point. Bastard.

"I liked it," Sasuke said, his voice quiet. "I liked that you needed me. I liked that I was always the first person you came to."

Naruto's irritation faded at those words. Sasuke was really good at knowing just what to say to melt his heart. He wondered if Sasuke did it on purpose. "You still are. I think I loved you, even back then." He said.

A long pause, where all he could hear was Sasuke's breathing, then; "I wanted to go with you."

"Cancel the wedding, then you can go wherever you want."

Sasuke let out a sigh. "Yeah, but I doubt that my dad and Sakura chasing us screaming bloody murder is the sort of publicity you really want."

Naruto highly doubted that that would happen, but he didn't say anything. At least Sasuke hadn't given his usually spiel of why he couldn't cancel the wedding; it was almost progress.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto said, suddenly remembering, "What's this thing Karin said you gave her to give to me?"

Long silence, so long that Naruto wondered if Sasuke was going to say anything. He didn't prompt. He really wanted to know what this mysterious thing was.

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "She shouldn't have said anything. It was a stupid idea; I'm going to tell her to get rid of it."

"What? You can't; it's mine now. You're not getting rid of my things."

"It's not yours until I give it to you, idiot. Currently it's still mine, and I can do whatever I want with it."

Naruto wished that Sasuke was there in person, and not just a voice on the end of the phone so he could hit him. Stupid stubborn bastard; now Naruto was even more curious than ever. He would have to find it, he decided, before Sasuke contacted Karin.

"Fine, like I care," Naruto said, letting all the petulance he felt out. It didn't make him feel any better.

"I love you." Sasuke's voice was raw with emotion as he said this, and his words soothed Naruto. Despite himself, Naruto found himself smiling.

"I love you, too." He said. He knew that Sasuke was trying to distract him from the gift, whatever it was, but he didn't care. Sasuke should know that once Naruto got an idea in his head, he would not let it go. Well, he would learn.

After he had finished his phone call to Sasuke, Naruto sent Karin out to get them something to eat. Once she had gone, Naruto locked the door, and began rifling through her bags.

It was quite disturbing; while Karin carried around the sort of things that one would expect a girl to have while travelling anywhere; toiletries, make-up, spare shoes, she also carried an assortment of weaponry. Naruto wondered if she expected them to go to war; she was obviously prepared for any eventuality, from a rain shower to a zombie apocalypse.

He found what he was looking for in the last place he looked, predictably. Tucked away amongst lacy underwear that he sifted through very gingerly was an envelope with his name on in Sasuke's handwriting. He pulled it out of the bag, and made sure that everything was put back where he had found it before locking himself in the bathroom, just in case.

He sat on the toilet seat, and opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, hand written. Naruto couldn't remember the last time Sasuke had written anything so long by hand. He was touched by the effort that had gone into it, and wondered why Sasuke hadn't wanted him to read it. He opened up the carefully folded paper, and began to read.

_Naruto,_

_It has only been hours since you left, but it feels like years. Although I know that you will only be away a short while, still, I think of my brother; soon he will be gone forever, and I fear the same happening to you. What if tonight was the last time we kissed, or made love, or held each other? I think this and feel fear, fear of being without you, fear of being alone, and it chokes me, and makes me think - well, enough of such morbid thoughts._

_I miss you; already I miss you, and with each breath I take, I feel like I love you more and more. Words may just be air, or scribbles on paper, but they are all I have to communicate how I feel to you. I love you, Naruto. Only you, always you. I know that I will never be able to love someone the way I love you, ever; you're it for me. My life, my love, my soul. _

_Yet, I feel that you don't believe this; deep down, you still believe that my marriage to Sakura will make my feelings for you less. If I could stop the wedding, I would. The knowledge of what I must do fills me with dread, yet I can find no way out of it. I try, every day I try to think of a way out, but all my ways are barred. I must do this, not because I want to, never that, but because of my duty to my clan. I know that you can't accept this, and to be truthful, I love you for it. Still, it is what I must do._

_But, Naruto, you must know that I take no pleasure in hurting you; your pain is my pain. Even now, as I write this, I ache for what you must be going through, and hate myself for putting you through this. I wish there was a way we could be together, but all ways involve going against my father, and I would not bring down his wrath on you. _

_So, I write this letter, in an effort to let you know how much you mean to me. I love you. I love your smile, especially when it's aimed at me. I am jealous of all who see that smile; it should be mine alone. I love the way everything seems brighter when you're around, like the sun has come out to chase away the night. I love the way you cry at sad films, but try to hide it to seem manlier. _

_I love the way that you hold me at night when we're sleeping, as if you don't ever want to let me go. I know that I hold you just as tightly for that reason. I love the way that you can make me so mad about the stupidest thing. I love the way that you can read my moods, and make me smile, even when I'm at my lowest. I love how complete I feel when you are inside me; only you make me feel that way. I love that you love me, even flawed as I am. I'm nothing compared to you. Maybe I don't deserve you, but I'm never letting you go._

_You are everything to me, Naruto, everything. I'm nothing without you, just an empty shell. I'm scared, because I think, being away from me, you will learn that you can survive without me, and I know that I can't survive without you. I'm horribly selfish to ask this, but I don't care; never leave me Naruto, please. Everything I am is yours, and I claim all of you for myself. This is the truth. The words that I have to say to bind me into marriage are lies, every one of them. _

_It gives me some small comfort to think of you reading my words. I would hope that every time you doubt me you remember this letter. I love you, Naruto. I love you, I love you, I love you. _

_Always yours,_

_Sasuke_

Naruto stared at the paper in his hands. Some of the words were smudged, as if rain had fallen on them, or tears.

"Bloody melodramatic bastard," Naruto growled, wiping angrily at the tears that had formed in his own eyes. The sentiment behind the letter was pure Sasuke, and it gripped at his heart, but he could see why Karin said that he seemed strange. Sasuke would normally never commit such feelings into writing. What if Karin had read the letter? Naruto shuddered at the thought. No wonder Sasuke had wanted it destroyed.

Still, Naruto had it now, and he was never letting it go. Maybe he would frame it, or keep it under his pillow. Or maybe he would just occasionally use it to tease Sasuke. It certainly made for some prime blackmail material.

For a moment, Naruto couldn't breathe as the implications of the letter sank in. Fugaku would likely just raise an eyebrow if he saw this, but if Sakura read it, she would surely call off the wedding herself. Sasuke, even morbidly depressed as he appeared to be when writing the letter, couldn't have missed realising that. It would be a very cruel thing to do to the girl, but any way the wedding was ended would hurt her. Naruto bit his lip. Maybe Sasuke couldn't bring himself to reveal his true feelings to Sakura, so he would have it done accidently instead. Or maybe he really wasn't thinking, and decided that the best way to express his feelings was in pompous prose. Naruto folded up the letter and slid it back into the envelope. He would keep it somewhere safe; he couldn't risk Karin reading it.

He pulled out his phone, and sent a brief text to Sasuke;

_I found your letter, you twat._

That should keep him sweating, Naruto thought as he switched off the phone. He needed time to prepare, with no distractions. A check of his watch said that he needed to be at the tea house in an hour. He hoped that Karin returned with food soon; he was starving.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was late when Naruto got back to the hotel. The tea house staff had all been very friendly, and had invited him out for drinks to welcome him to their town, despite the fact that he was only staying one night. Karin had left early, pleading tiredness. Naruto guessed that if Sasuke had intended her to keep any erstwhile suitors away, he had forgotten to tell her. As it was, Naruto only had one girl come on to him. After he told them that he was gay, she had tried to introduce him to her gay brother. Naruto hadn't known whether he should be pleased that he hadn't hurt her, or miffed at the way she immediately switched to matchmaking. Naruto had explained that he was seeing someone; which the brother took quite well. They had ended up in a gay bar. Naruto had maybe drunk one too many cocktails, and was feeling a bit groggy. He made a mental note to take Sasuke there sometime as he stripped off his clothes and flopped wearily onto the bed.

A scream echoed through the room, finishing the job the alcohol had started of liquidising his brain. The bedside light snapped on, revealing Karin, murder in her eyes, wiggling out from underneath him. Not only had he forgotten that he had given her the bed, he had managed to land on her. It was probably just as well. If he had encountered a warm body in his bed when he was tipsy, he might have mistaken her for Sasuke.

Scared sober, stammering apologies, Naruto grabbed his trousers, and ducked into the bathroom. He closed the door and was about to lock it, only to have it torn from his grasp. A dishevelled Karin glared at him, before flinging his bag and a pillow at his face. Naruto caught the bag; the pillow landed at his feet.

"You can sleep in there tonight," Karin snapped, slamming the door. There was some thumping outside the door. Naruto tried the handle cautiously, but it wouldn't budge.

"I've blocked the door," Karin announced. "I'll let you out in the morning."

Naruto decided that it would be wisest not to argue with her. He made a bed out of the pillow and some towels, grateful that it was summer. Since he was stuck in the bathroom, he decided to make use of the facilities. He hoped that Karin was struck with the need to pee in the night.

It was gone 2 in the morning, so Naruto decided to call Sasuke and thank him for the loan of his rabid body guard. He found his phone in his bag, still turned off. He switched it on, wincing at the number of messages. He had forgotten that it was off. He called Sasuke, suddenly sure that his lover would still be awake.

"What have you been doing, Naruto? I've been worried sick. You didn't answer any of my messages. I tried to call Karin, and her phone was off, too. I thought that you had-"

"Hi, I love you too," Naruto interrupted Sasuke's panicky tirade, "I turned my phone off and left it in the hotel."

Silence from Sasuke, a silence that somehow seemed louder than a shout. "Why?" He asked finally, "what were you doing?"

Naruto sighed. His head ached; possibly his hangover was starting early. "I went out with some of the guys after the presentation," he said. "Please don't tell me you're going to be jealous paranoid boyfriend while I'm away. I read your letter, asshole, and I'll tell you this now. You're the only one for me, too. You know that. Maybe I won't get a chance to call you every day, and maybe I won't answer all your messages right away, but it won't change the fact that I love you."

"I wish you hadn't seen that letter," Sasuke said. "I was-"

"Honest," Naruto replied.

"At least I didn't send the other one," Sasuke murmured.

"What other one?" Naruto was instantly curious.

"It doesn't matter. I'll tell you some day. You'll laugh. How did the presentation go?"

Naruto allowed himself to be distracted; it was nice to talk to Sasuke, to tell him how his day went, and hear what Sasuke had been doing. He just wished that Sasuke was there with him. He suddenly yearned to feel Sasuke's skin, to run his fingers through his dark hair, and to stare deep into his eyes.

"Is Karin behaving herself?" Sasuke asked finally.

"She locked me in the bathroom," Naruto replied, surly.

Sasuke let out a snort of laughter.

Naruto couldn't help but grin at his lover's laughter. "I'm just glad that I don't have to do anything tomorrow apart from travel; I've had four hours sleep in the last few days. I blame you."

"Yeah, well I've not slept, either. I've become used to you sleeping with me. I can't sleep without your arms around me, so I definitely blame you for my lack of sleep."

"I'm also used to sleeping next to you, so you're doubly to blame for my lack of sleep," Naruto countered childishly.

"Fine, I'll accept full culpability. We're just going to have to get used to being tired all the time."

"More like, you'll get used to sleeping alone, and when I get back you'll spend the nights kicking me and hogging all the covers." Naruto joked.

"Never," Sasuke replied, his voice quiet and serious.

"Yeah, I know, I was just kidding. Anyway, if you ever did kick me or hog all of the covers, I'd just fuck you unconscious again."

"Mmm, is that a promise? I may just have to practice my kicking," Sasuke replied. His tone was sultry, and it went straight to Naruto's cock.

Naruto had a sudden idea. It was probably a very bad idea; it was late, he was sleep deprived and Karin was in the room next door. However, all the arguments raised by his mind were quashed by the ache in his dick.

"I want to be touching you right now, Sasuke," Naruto said, his voice soft, "I want to hold you naked in my arms, kissing you all over your body. I want to slide my dick deep inside you, and fuck you till the sun comes up."

Sasuke let out a small whimper.

"Are you hard for me, Sasuke?" Naruto continued. This was going to be awkward one handed, but he didn't dare put Sasuke on speaker phone with Karin next door.

"Yesss," Sasuke hissed. "Only for you."

Sasuke's voice was damn sexy, Naruto thought. He wished that he could see him; he had brought his laptop, so they were definitely trying this with webcams next time.

"Are you naked, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"I'm in bed; what do you think."

Naruto grinned to himself. "Good. Put me on speaker phone. I want you to touch yourself."

Naruto heard a brief fumbling, before Sasuke's voice returned; "where?"

"Not your dick, not yet. Run your hands down your chest, imagine it's me. What do you want me to do to you?"

"Kiss me, all over. I want your lips, Naruto."

"Mmm, then what?" Naruto's cock was rock hard now, as he closed his eyes and imagined a wanton Sasuke laid out before him. "Where do you want my lips to go? To your ass or your cock?"

"Both," Sasuke replied.

"Greedy. Ok, I'm going to start with your dick. I'll lick it first, starting with the head. Is your cock aching for the feel of my mouth?"

"Oh god, yes. Naruto you're driving me insane. I want to feel it."

Naruto was having similar thoughts; it was time to change the script, he decided. "Ok, I want you to finger your ass. But you need to describe it to me."

Naruto gave into the temptation, and wrapped a hand around his cock, stroking it slowly as he listened to Sasuke scuffling around. He imagined him crawling across the bed to the cabinet, reaching inside and grabbing the lube. Sasuke would stare at it for a moment, he thought, contemplating what he was about to do. As if on cue, Naruto heard the lid of the lube pop open.

"How are you laying, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"On my back."

"Your legs spread wide, your cock and ass all on display for me?"

"Yeah." Sasuke's voice was soft, almost shyly making the admission. Now Naruto thought about it, Sasuke wasn't really vocal during sex, other than moaning, sighing, grunting and occasionally screaming.

"Ok, Sasuke, touch yourself, but tell me what you're doing. Right now, I'm stroking my cock, nice and slowly. I wish I was buried deep inside you. When you put your fingers inside, Imagine it's my cock."

Sasuke let out a small whimper. "I…I'm putting a finger in now," he said, ending in a groan.

"All the way in?"

"Yes."

"Tell me how it feels." Naruto's hand, almost of its own volition, sped up. Sasuke was normally so confident in bed; this sudden diffidence was hot as hell. He was imagining breaching a virginal Sasuke for the first time, imagining him shuddering in his arms. Talking Sasuke into a bit of role-play went onto his list of things to do, promptly forgotten as Sasuke began to speak.

"It feels so good. I'm hot and tight inside, Naruto; squeezing your cock. I'm moving my finger, slowly, all the way out, then in again. I'm going to put another one in now." Sasuke's voice was choppy, his breathing heavy; each word was punctuated by a gasping breath. Naruto was impressed at how quickly Sasuke had caught on to the idea. Virginal Sasuke was gone, replaced by the hot, horny man he loved.

Sasuke let out a long groan. Naruto could hear his heavy breathing echoing through the phone.

"How does that feel, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Hot, and tight. I want you so badly; I want you in me, on top of me."

Naruto groaned; he wanted it too. "Fuck. Sasuke, touch your dick as well, I want to hear you come for me." His own hand was moving wildly on his cock; he wished he had his other free, to cup his balls, or maybe even tease his hole. Fuck it, he decided. Karin was asleep, and the walls were thick, and he was far too horny to care anymore.

He pressed the button on the phone, and placed it by his head as he lay down on his makeshift bed. Sasuke's gasping breaths, his soft moans, and the faint, wet sounds of his fingers working in his ass echoed around the bathroom. Naruto reached his free hand down between his legs, and cupped his balls, squeezing and rolling them in his palm. A new wave of pleasure washed through him at the sensation, and he groaned.

"Naruto," Sasuke gasped, "I'm so close."

"How many fingers?" Naruto asked, sliding his hand lower.

"Three. I want your cock, Naruto."

Naruto could feel his pre-come dribbling onto his fingers at Sasuke's words. He could imagine his lover writhing on his bed, his fingers thrusting wildly in and out of his ass, his other hand on his cock, still begging for more. Naruto groaned at the image, heat building in his groin. He placed one finger at his tight entrance, and with a grunt slowly pushed it in. Naruto didn't play with his ass that often; invariably it gave rise to fantasies that could not be fulfilled. At least, not until Sasuke was fully his.

"I'm fingering my ass, Sasuke." Naruto said, curling his finger so he could press it against his prostate.

Sasuke let out a soft gasp, then a keening cry. Naruto Imagined his back arching as he came, streams of come coating his belly. Naruto rubbed against his prostate in time with the hand jerking his dick. Heat spread though him as he came with a long groan.

For a long moment he lay there panting; he could hear Sasuke doing the same on the other end of the phone. As good as the release had been, now all he wanted to do was roll over, and hold Sasuke tight. Being away from him sucked; Naruto just hoped that it would pay off, and suck just as badly for Sasuke.

He pulled his finger out of his ass, grabbing the phone, and switching it back to normal.

"Do you think you can sleep now?" He asked.

"Probably not; you've done something terrible to me, Naruto. I'm now unable to sleep without you snoring and farting beside me."

"You are seriously fucked up if that's what you miss most about me," Naruto replied.

"I miss everything about you. Even the annoying way you put crappy ringtones on my phone."

Naruto snickered. He wondered if Sakura had called Sasuke yet. "Well, I guess that I miss the way you hate all my music."

"Just the 80's power ballads."

"What? I'm not allowed to live up to at least one cliché?"

"I'm just saying, you start playing _I Will Survive_ anywhere near me again and I'll kill you."

"Technically that track was released in the 70's."Naruto could almost hear Sasuke rolling his eyes. He let out a small giggle at the thought. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too. I want to speak to you all night, but I sort of need to shower."

Naruto regarded the drying semen on his abdomen. "Yeah, me too." He didn't know why he hadn't thought to grab some tissue. "Well, good night, I guess. Or is it good morning?"

"It won't be good anything until you're back. I love you."

Sasuke hung up before Naruto could say anything in reply. He stared at the phone for a few moments, before dropping it beside him with a sigh. He climbed into the shower, letting the warm water wash over him. It was bad, he reflected, to love someone as much as he loved Sasuke; to the point where being apart from him was a constant pain in his heart. He tried to remember how it had been when they were just best friends, neither aware of how the other felt, but it was impossible. Sasuke was his now, and he was never letting him go.

He attempted to sleep on his makeshift bed, but the towels were wet from his shower, and he missed having Sasuke pressed against him. Eventually, he gave it up as a complete waste of time, and dressed instead.

This was the first time that he'd had the opportunity to check out the contents of his bag. For someone who had spent days in a tent or up a tree in the past, Kushina didn't really have a clue on what one might need for a two week journey. The contents of his underwear draw had been rammed into the bag, but only two t-shirts and one pair of jeans. For some reason she had included a tin of beans, two pairs of flip-flops, some insect repellent, a picture of him as a baby sat on his father's knee, two disposable cameras, one of which had been used, and a mars bar. Naruto sighed. He was going to have to do some clothes shopping.

He spun around as the bathroom door opened; Karin was wearing the bed sheet wrapped around her like some sort of bizarre toga. For some reason her face was flushed, and she refused to meet Naruto's eyes.

"I have to shower," she muttered, pushing past him.

Naruto took the hint, and grabbed his bag, exiting the bathroom thankfully. It had become a bit claustrophobic in there.

He lay down on the bed, intending to wait for Karin in a bit of comfort; he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Kushina Uzumaki was not happy. She scowled at Mikoto as her friend folded another invitation and slipped it into an envelope.

Mikoto was immune to Kushina's scowls; it was something that peeved Kushina. Both Mikoto and Minato would calmly do their own thing, regardless of the looks she gave them; she had tried sulking, stropping, once she had attempted to pit them against each other. Still, they were the only two people immune to her moods.

"You don't have to be here, you know," Mikoto said, delicately licking another envelope.

"I still don't know why you're helping with this farce of a wedding, you know that your son doesn't want to go through with it; sending out invitations will just make it worse."

"Yet Sasuke hasn't called it off. I'm supporting my son, Kushina. It doesn't matter what we think; if he's determined to go through with the wedding, then as an Uchiha, I have to make sure it's the best wedding since Fugaku and I married. Sakura asked me to send these invites out two weeks ago. I can't hold off any longer. It won't be much of a wedding without any guests. "

"Stupid bloody Uchiha family pride," Kushina muttered. "You know Sasuke's doing just the same as you did, marrying for the family, rather than himself. I remember how you cried the whole night before your wedding."

"Yet I'm content now." Mikoto's voice was level, as if Kushina bringing up that old pain meant nothing. "I have two wonderful sons. I may not love Fugaku, but we have learned to work together. If Sasuke does marry Sakura, I'm sure they will come to a similar agreement."

"At the expense of my son," Kushina exclaimed. "Your idiot boy will break my son's heart, and I will not stand for it."

Mikoto sighed. "He'll break his own, as well. Still, until he realises this, there's nothing more we can do. We tried, Kushina. It's up to them, now."

Kushina folded her arms, and deepened her scowl. Sitting back and waiting for Sasuke to grow a pair was not an option as far as she was concerned. She may as well have been scowling at the wall for all the good it did her; Mikoto calmly continued to fill the envelopes. It didn't help that Minato had said pretty much the same thing to her earlier that day.

"I'm not helping you," Kushina declared, turning around and storming out of Mikoto's small study. She was sure she heard her friend sigh behind her. She decided to look for Hinata; the shy girl was very fond of Naruto, and would likely be the only help Kushina was going to get at the moment.

Hinata proved to be illusive. Kushina knew from Naruto that Hinata was spending a lot of her time at the Uchiha mansion, but he had never bothered to say exactly where she would be. Kushina was just about to give up and go home, when she spied something pink out of the window. She turned to see Sakura dashing up the driveway to a waiting taxi.

Something about the way Sakura glanced behind her as she slid into the taxi piqued Kushina's interest. Impulsively, she dashed down the stairs, pulling out her phone. She knew the taxi firm, and someone there owed her a few favours. Once she got to her own car, she knew the address where Sakura was heading. Kushina started off after the taxi.

She had never really paid much attention to Sakura; since Naruto was in love with Sasuke, she felt it was her parental duty to dislike the girl, but she had never really bothered to get to know her. Mikoto had always sung her praises, saying how intelligent she was, and such an interesting conversationalist; Kushina remembered that she had replied that this was a good thing, since Mikoto's son was clearly gay, they would need something to do on the long winter nights.

Thinking about it, even if the girl was as thick as pig shit, surely she should have realised that there was something up with Sasuke. It wasn't like he and Naruto were even being that subtle; she had heard them going at it like rabid bunnies the few times that Sasuke had stayed over with Naruto. Most nights, though, Naruto stayed at the Uchiha mansion. Very openly stayed at the Uchiha mansion. Plus, there were all the heated looks, the oh so casual touches that they innocently seemed to think that no one would notice. Surely by now, even Fugaku must have realised that they were sleeping together.

Then there was the way that she seemed to always find ways to piss Sasuke off. Sakura managed to irritate Sasuke so often that it almost seemed to be purposeful. Kushina frowned to herself, so deep in thought that she almost ploughed into an elderly man crossing the road. She swerved to avoid him, then twisted the wheel to take a sharp left turn. She grinned as she saw the taxi turning at the end of the road, and accelerated.

The taxi had stopped outside a small mid-terrace house. Kushina pulled in behind a car, and watched as Sakura climbed out of the taxi. The girl took the five steps up to the door of the house with a few easy bounces. She had left the Uchiha mansion furtively, but she appeared positively joyful now.

The door to the house was opened by a man with a shock of deep red hair. It clashed horribly with Sakura's pink locks, Kushina noticed. They exchanged a few words before disappearing into the house.

Kushina turned off her car's engine, prepared to wait. She wished that she had Hinata or Mikoto with her; one of them could have gone for donuts and coffee, and they could have had a proper stake out.

It was several hours later when a second taxi pulled up outside the house. Kushina watched as Sakura got into the taxi, and it drove off down the road. She ducked as it passed her, just in case. The red head, she noticed, remained on the doorstep, his eyes following Sakura's taxi until it was gone.

Kushina had had plenty of time to herself, during which she had jumped to several conclusions. Although she had no real proof other than Sakura being there, she was sure that Sakura was having an affair with the red-headed man, whom she would call Gingernut until she discovered his real name. That was why Sakura didn't seem to notice Naruto and Sasuke being all smoochy with each other; either she didn't care, or she was too loved up to notice.

Why Sakura remained engaged to Sasuke was harder to explain. Kushina had a few theories. Theory number one was that she was out for the Uchiha money, and would divorce Sasuke after exposing his affair with Naruto, gaining a substantial payout as a reward. Theory number two was that she was pregnant with Gingernut's offspring, and to avoid shame to the Haruno name, she was going to try and pass it off as Uchiha. She would have a lot of explaining to do if the baby came out ginger; Sakura was blond under all that pink dye, and every Uchiha ever born had dark hair. Theory number three was an outside one, where Sakura was actually a crack whore, and Gingernut was her pimp. That could tie in with either theory one or two.

Normally, Kushina would take her suspicions to either Minato or Mikoto, but she expected that both her husband and best friend would advise her to leave it alone. After all, she lacked any sort of concrete proof. Naruto was away, so she couldn't take it too him. Plus, she wanted to be sure of Sakura's guilt. She didn't want to get Naruto's hopes up for nothing.

She decided to keep a very close eye on Sakura over the next few weeks. The girl wouldn't sneeze without Kushina Uzumaki knowing about it.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I've realised that I missed the disclaimer off of a few chapters, so just want to say I still don't own any of the characters ^^**

**Big huge thanks to all who've read, and favorited, and an especial thanks to those who have taken the time to review. I would not have got this far without your feedback pushing me on to write more.**

**Lots of Sasuke being emo in this one, so if anyone feels the urge to kick him a bit, I'm sorry, and please feel free to do so, lol!**

**I wanted to get this up last night, but I was sort of falling asleep a bit as I wrote the end, soI wanted to read through it this morining to make sure I hadn't written a bunch of drivel. Surprisingly, I didn't have to change too much. **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think ^^**

Chapter Eleven

_July 29__th__ – 1 Month and 17 days to the Wedding_

Sasuke stared at the wall, not really seeing it. He wondered if this was what dying felt like, the slow, inexorable loss of will to do anything. One week and one day; it seemed like longer, far longer. At first, he had tried to keep busy; they had the TV ad to sort and they were two people down, so there was plenty to do. Sakura was taking up more and more of his time, as well. He really hadn't realised all the planning that went into a wedding. And there were his responsibilities as his father's heir. He walked through life, going through the motions; an animated corpse version of himself. And at night, he lay awake, heart aching, slowly dying inside.

Naruto was due back on Tuesday; Sasuke wondered if he would still be alive by then, or if the wait would have been too long, and all the life drained out of him. He sighed, pulling the covers up under his chin. Naruto's calls came less frequently. Karin had confessed that Naruto had sped up the tour, putting several shops that were close to each other into the same day. It meant that he would be home sooner. Sasuke supposed that it was good that Naruto was coming home sooner, but he didn't want Naruto to come back empty, like him. Naruto was the sunshine, pure and warm; life giving and full of life, he could bring Sasuke back from the dead. Sasuke wasn't sure if he would be able to do the same for Naruto.

There was a beating at his door. He ignored it, pulling the covers up over his head. It happened regularly; someone would come, knock, and call, then go away. This time, though the knocking continued. Except it was more like pounding than knocking. Sasuke grit his teeth, wanting to yell at them to go away.

A loud, tearing sound, as if a giant was ripping silk rent the air, followed by a crash. Sasuke sat up, staring at the place where his door had been in complete horror. Neji stood in the doorway, a fire axe in his hands. Itachi sat in his wheel chair besides him, his arms folded, a scowl on his face.

"Do you realise how worried everyone is about you?" Itachi snapped.

"My door!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Fuck your door," Itachi replied. "You've been locked in here for almost two days. You haven't eaten anything, you don't answer anyone. You made Mother cry."

Sasuke swallowed. In Itachi's estimation, making their mother cry was the worst thing anyone could do. Sometimes Sasuke thought that he fought his illness as hard as he did to keep her happy. Neji pushed Itachi's chair carefully over the ruins of the door, kicking a larger piece out of his way. His pale eyes were cold as they fixed on Sasuke. Itachi, he noticed, was looking thinner than when he saw him last. Guilt twinged in Sasuke's gut as he realised Itachi probably wasn't well enough to be charging around breaking down doors to pull his errant little brother out of his funk.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"You stink." Itachi interrupted him, wrinkling his nose. "Neji."

Neji grabbed him by the arm, and Sasuke found himself being dragged across the room, before being deposited into the shower. Neji turned the faucet, drenching him in ice cold water. Sasuke let out a manly scream at the temperature. He had been wearing a pair of old jogging bottoms when he had decided to nest in his bed, and they were soon uncomfortably sodden.

He shot Neji his best glare. "I can wash myself," he said.

The pale eyed man left with a snort, leaving the door slightly ajar, as if he was worried that Sasuke would lock himself in the bathroom. It was almost tempting, Sasuke thought as he stripped and turned the water up. The warm water was nice, soothing. It helped distract from the pain in his heart.

Sasuke knew that the hurt wasn't precisely because Naruto was away, although that didn't help, it was because he was, in a month and a bit, essentially push Naruto away from himself, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had made one, mad plan when Naruto had first left. The letters were still under his bed; he had occasionally pulled them out, and contemplated sending them during the last two days. He hated that his only plan was completely insane. More, he hated that it seemed like a pretty good option at the moment.

Sasuke tipped his head back, soaking his hair. He had last spoken to Naruto three days ago. He had received a text, a while back. His concept of time had grown fuzzy. Just a simple _I love you,_ but it had warmed him. He was like a black hole, sucking in all the light around him, thankful of any sunbeams Naruto happened to shoot his way. He was completely pathetic. Sasuke let out a soft groan. He had gone on and on about how he had to do his duty as the heir, and then he had spent two days buried under his bed at the thought of doing said duty. No wonder Itachi was pissed at him.

Since he hadn't had a chance to get a change of clothing, Sasuke wrapped a towel around his waist to exit the bathroom. As he no longer had a door, anyone could wander into his room; after Sakura's attempted rape, the thought was disconcerting.

Itachi and Neji were still there. Sasuke ignored them as he dressed, not wanting to face his brother's censure. He was being ridiculous, and stupid, but he couldn't stop the pain.

"We told everyone that you were sick," Neji said once Sasuke was dressed.

Sasuke raised a surprised eyebrow. From the way they had barrelled into his room, he didn't think that they were very impressed with him. Being sick was preferable to sulking. He couldn't stand the thought of everyone knowing that he had been moping around for the past two days.

"Since you have no door, you had best come to my room to recuperate," Itachi suggested, the ghost of a smile on his face.

Sasuke followed them down the hallway. He had his phone in his back pocket, in case Naruto called. Everything else had been left in his room. He hoped that Sakura didn't sneak in there to do anything creepy.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke sat in a chair, watching as Neji carefully lifted Itachi back into bed. Sasuke hadn't realised how weak his brother had become. It was a relief that he didn't need to be hooked up to any of the machines. Instead, he sank into the bed with a sigh.

Looking at his brother, Sasuke hated himself. He was being melodramatic; Itachi was actually dying, there was a world of difference.

"I'm sorry," he said, even though Itachi wouldn't know why.

Itachi held out a thin hand, and poked Sasuke in the forehead the way he used to when they were children.

"That's for being an idiot," he said. "If the blond means that much to you, why don't you just cancel the wedding?"

Neji, on the other side of the bed was nodding in agreement.

Sasuke stared at them. "You know? How?"

"I spend a lot of time in bed, with nothing to do except look out of my window." Itachi flicked a wry glance to said window. Sasuke followed his gaze, and groaned. It was perfect view of the fountain. He wondered how many of his comings and goings over the years had been noted by his brother.

"You know why I can't," Sasuke said. "Everyone expects-"

"And that's what matters? You're not the only Uchiha in existence, you know. The business can stay in the family with no help from you. Or you could use a surrogate, or anything. No one expects you to go against your heart."

Sasuke blinked, feeling slightly betrayed. He had been sure that out of everyone, Itachi would understand. "But father," he tried weakly.

Itachi snorted. "Father's approval is sparse, you know this. He'll still love you, even if he doesn't approve of you. He certainly doesn't approve of me. I'm a complete disappointment. At least you're healthy. And father shouldn't be the one you're worrying about. If you marry Sakura, you'll lose your lover."

"No, Naruto wouldn't-"

"What? Abandon you? Yet you're happy to abandon him. Cheat on you? You'll be cheating on him when you consummate your marriage. How would you feel, if your boy went out, and slept with someone, anyone, with the excuse that he was only doing his duty?"

"But it's too late." Sasuke's voice was no more than a whisper; Itachi's words were like poisoned blades, piercing him through the heart.

"It's too late when you're dead. You have more time than me; why are you arguing, Sasuke? Why won't you grasp your happiness?"

Why. The word echoed in Sasuke's head; why, why, why. Grasp his happiness; it was the simplest, and the most difficult thing Sasuke could do. He imagined going up to his father, and boldly declaring that it was Naruto he loved. He could practically feel the words on his tongue. But the fear, the fear that his father would disapprove, sunk them deep within him.

He looked up into Itachi's dark eyes. All the pain in the world seemed to reside in them.

"I can't," he said. "Not when it will make so many other people unhappy."

Itachi snorted. "You can't make everyone happy, it's impossible." He said

Sasuke shrugged. He was painfully aware of that. But he would hurt too many people if he just did want he wanted.

"How are you feeling?" He asked instead, changing the subject. He hadn't spent much time with Itachi recently, and he was feeling guilty for abandoning him.

One of Itachi's dark eyebrows rose, and his lips curled in a wry smile, but he allowed himself to be segued.

"As well as can be expected. The doctors have me on new drugs; I'm so full of pills I probably rattle when I move. The medicine makes me nauseous, and I can't really eat anything, but the pain's better."

"Good," Sasuke said, forcing out a smile.

Neji tutted and rolled his eyes.

Sasuke glared at him. "What's your problem?" He snapped.

"That you're too self involved to realise how Itachi is suffering; he can barely move, yet he dragged your worthless carcass out of your room, where you were sulking because life is so cruel to you, gave you advice which you won't take, then when he tells you how he's doing, all you can say is good. You're pathetic."

Sasuke stared at Neji; he was normally so stoic. He didn't think that he had ever heard him say that many words before. He scowled as the content of the words belatedly became apparent.

When Sasuke didn't say anything, Neji's lip curled in a sneer, and he turned to look out of the window. Clearly he wasn't leaving Itachi's side any time soon. Since Sasuke didn't want to stay and be insulted, he gave his brother a small smile. It was forced, but Itachi didn't seem to mind.

"I'll speak to you later, Tachi," Sasuke said, shooting a glare at Neji's back before exiting the room.

Now he was out of bed, he supposed he should check on Naruto's little empire. They hadn't really made much progress prior to Sasuke's hibernation. Naruto would likely kill them when he got back for slacking off.

He grabbed the handle of the study door, and was almost knocked over by Hinata dashing out. She stared at him, lilac eyes wide.

"Sasuke! I didn't expect to see you here."

"I live here. This is my study. Where is everyone else?"

"Oh…um, well Juugo is…Juugo is downstairs, and Suigetsu…well, I don't know where Suigetsu is."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Obviously no work had been done while he had been otherwise occupied "Could you find him?" he said. "We have work to do."

"Oh…I can't. I was just here to say bye to Kurohime…Because I'm going away, on family business." She shot him a nervous grin. Sasuke frowned, he was sure that Hinata had become better at interacting with people. She seemed to have taken a few steps backwards in the last few days.

"When will you be back?" Sasuke asked, wondering how he was going to manage to get something together for Naruto's return with only two other people.

Hinata's face flushed; her eyes were tipped down, focusing on her fingers, which she was twiddling together. "I…I don't know. Can you look after Kurohime for me?"

Sasuke wondered if her father was forcing her to leave. "Hinata, you know if your father is making you do anything you don't want to do, you can always stay here. Or with Kushina." Preferably with Kushina, Sasuke thought; Naruto would be upset if anything happened to Hinata while he was away, but Sasuke didn't relish the thought of bringing the wrath of the Hyuuga clan down on his head.

Hinata's head shot up. "No…no, it's nothing like that. But thank you." She smiled.

Sasuke stood aside to let her past. Hinata took a few steps, before turning back to him. The smile was gone, replaced by a small frown.

"Why are you marrying Sakura?" She asked.

Sasuke felt like groaning. He wondered if this was all part of some sort of master plan by Naruto, or his sadistic mother.

"I mean, you love Naruto, and he loves you. Why can't you just be together?"

Sasuke sighed. "It's not as simple as that."

Hinata cocked her head to one side. "I think it is, Sasuke, and you're just over complicating things. Sometimes, you just need to jump, and not worry about the ground below, because when you're with someone you love, they're like a parachute. You can worry and worry about hitting the ground, but they'll always save you from the fall." She blushed an even brighter shade of red. "Sorry; I have to go." She dashed down the hallway, Sasuke watching her, extremely puzzled.

He ducked into his study. He supposed he should find Juugo and Suigetsu, and make them do some work, but he suddenly lacked the motivation. Instead, he grabbed the kitten and her bed, and took them back to his room, calling a carpenter to get his door fixed. After one very smelly deposit on his carpet, Sasuke went back for the litter tray.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke was sat on his bed, dangling an old sock on a bit of string for the kitten and watching the burly carpenter fix his door, when his mother arrived.

Mikoto stepped over the mess of sawdust on Sasuke's floor and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Itachi told me that you had decided to stop sulking," She said.

Sasuke shot a sour glance at the remains of his door. "He didn't give me much choice," he muttered. He liked to think that he would have seen sense, eventually, but his bed was beginning to look very appealing again. And Naruto _still_ hadn't called him. He wondered if he was doing it on purpose, if he knew that Sasuke was being bombarded by people who thought that he should cancel the wedding, and he was just biding his time until Sasuke was worn down. He steeled himself, waiting for his mother to begin lecturing; Naruto had said that she knew about them, and she was as responsible as Kushina for the whole date thing.

"You know, you should take this as an opportunity to move into your new rooms," Mikoto said.

Sasuke sat up straight and stared at her, tugging at the string, and dangling the kitten like a really fluffy fish on a reel. He grabbed the little fur ball and set it down on his lap. "What new rooms? What's wrong with this one?"

Mikoto smiled at him, "Well, it's not really couple-y, is it? Your father has a suit prepared for when you marry, but really I can see no reason why you and Sakura shouldn't move in there now. These are modern times, after all, there's no need to wait until after the wedding."

Sasuke stared in shock at his mother. "But…I thought that we would keep our own rooms, after." He said.

Mikoto scooped the kitten up for cwtches. "Why on earth would you think that, Sasuke? You're marrying the girl; you are expected to live as man and wife, after." She poked the kitten on the nose, watching as it squirmed away from her finger.

Sasuke's shock deepened. Perhaps Naruto had been wrong about her. "But…but…you know." He hissed. "You know that I'm…I'm not…you know! Anyway, you and father sleep in different rooms."

"Now we do. When we first married we shared a bed, as you and your brother's existence proves. Sasuke, I know that you're involved with Naruto, but if you're still determined to go ahead with this wedding, then it's got to be all the way. You will be Sakura's husband, she will be your wife, and that should mean something." She released the kitten. Sasuke watched as it pounced on his sock, worrying at the material with its sharp teeth

"You never loved father, did you?" He asked quietly.

"No, but I was still his wife; I did my duty."

"And I will do mine. Just, not now. I swear to you, I'll be the perfect heir, and husband and whatever else, when the time comes." Sasuke wished he knew how; he would find a way, he had to find a way. He wanted his father's approval, his mother's smile, for Itachi to not have to worry, for Sakura to be happy. But he also wanted Naruto. Was it wrong to put Naruto's happiness above everyone else's, he wondered, because that was what he wanted to do.

Mikoto let out a soft sigh. She reached out a hand and pushed a tangle of hair away from Sasuke's face. "You know, I'll support you, whatever you choose," she said, "you're my son, and I'll love you no matter what. Stay here for now, but you really need to realise that you have a choice, and it's either or; not both."

She scratched the kitten behind the ears briefly before taking her leave. Suddenly in need of comfort, Sasuke grabbed the cat, setting it on his knee. It purred, content to be cuddled. He stroked it absently, eyes glazed and staring into space as his mother's words echoed in his head. It wasn't fair. He didn't have a choice; if he did, he knew who he would choose in an instant. His problem was that he couldn't have what he wanted. He wondered why no one could see this; it was so frustrating.

"Uhhh, the door is done."

Sasuke hadn't realised that the carpenter was still there. He got rid of the man quickly, thankfully locking his new door behind him. He curled up on his bed with the kitten and his phone. He really needed to talk to Naruto, just to hear his voice. Life was so dark without him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke woke up to something nibbling at his ear. His sleep hazed mind wondered if Naruto was feeling horny, then sharp little kitten teeth bit down hard enough to draw blood, and Sasuke sat up with a yell, wide awake. He checked his phone, but there were still no messages from Naruto. He contemplated calling him, but didn't want to appear needy. He showered and changed instead, slipping the phone into his pocket.

Sasuke fed the pest, wondering why he had thought it was a good idea to bring the hair ball into his room. A glance out of his window revealed grey skies and lashing rain, which sort of fit his mood. Not wanting to replace another door, Sasuke left his room in search of breakfast. He hadn't eaten in a while, he realised. No wonder his head was fuzzy and his moods everywhere.

He found the dining room deserted. Either it was really early or really late, Sasuke thought. There was normally someone around during the day. He made his way into the kitchens to get something to eat, wondering what the time was. He hoped it was tomorrow; that would mean that Naruto would be home in three days time. His stomach felt tingly at the thought.

The kitchens were fairly lively, Sasuke glanced at the large clock that hung on the far wall; it was half past nine in the morning and breakfast should have been served. Sasuke glanced at the Uchiha staff; three maids, two cooks and a couple of young men whose purposes around the mansion were unknown. They had all gone very quiet, he realised.

Sasuke grabbed one of the sandwiches made for the guards on gate duty, suddenly realising how hungry he was. He took a bite before turning to the closest maid. "What's going on?" He demanded.

"The Hyuuga heiress has vanished," the girl said, her eyes wide.

"Hinata? I only just spoke to her." Sasuke wondered just how long he had slept for.

The girl nodded. "Her father's been here; he didn't look very happy."

"Hiashi Hyuuga never looks happy," Sasuke said absently. He grabbed another sandwich before leaving the kitchen. He would like to think it was nothing more than a bit of gossip that had been blown out of proportion, but then, surely there would be someone having breakfast in the house. He knew that if something had happened to Hinata, Naruto would kill him.

Sasuke decided that he had to find out what had happened; he headed to his father's study, to find it full. Fugaku Uchiha Sat behind his desk, a carefully blank expression on his face that Sasuke knew meant he was seriously pissed off. A bevy of cousins, aunts, uncles and other relatives stood behind him. Mikoto stood off to one side with Sakura and Kushina; even Itachi and Neji were there. As Sasuke slipped in through the door, all eyes turned from the tall man with waist length dark hair standing in the middle of the room, to him. The tall man turned as well, and Sasuke found himself the focus of Hiashi Hyuuga's eerie lilac stare.

"And here we have another accomplice," he said.

"I highly doubt that my son was involved in your daughter's escapade," Fugaku said dryly. His dark eyes flicked to Sasuke in a brief look which said that he better not have been.

Hiashi snorted. "Please, the lot of them have been plotting together for weeks. It says it right here in the letter Hinata left; 'I'm following my heart', obviously she's gone to your son," here he jabbed a finger at Kushina, who scowled at him, "and your son abetted her escape." He thought better of pointing at Fugaku. The air crackled with tension as the two men stared impassively at each other with enough force to melt steel.

"Ok, before people start accusing me of things, what the hell has happened? I spoke to Hinata last night, and she never said anything about going anywhere. And why would she go to Naruto?"

"That's my question exactly," Kushina chimed in. "Naruto hasn't been dating your daughter for weeks, and she's been fine with it, why would she run away now? Plus, he's going to be coming back on Tuesday; as far as rebellions go, it's a little bit tame to run away with someone for three days."

"How do you know he's coming back?" Hiashi countered.

"He's my son!" Kushina exclaimed, "unlike you, I know my child, I trust him, and he trusts me. Look wherever you want for your daughter, but you will not find her with him."

Sasuke was having similar thoughts himself, but he sent a quick text to Karin, just in case. The thought of Naruto and Hinata running off together just about turned his brain to mush.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he turned back to Fugaku. "Wherever my daughter is, know this; until she is found, all relations between Hyuuga and Uchiha are forfeit. Neji, come. We're leaving."

He turned, his dark hair swooshing dramatically around him as he made his exit. Neji paused for a moment, torn. Sasuke saw Itachi squeeze his arm, and mutter something to him. Very reluctantly, Neji followed Hiashi out of the study. The whole room seemed to let out a breath as the door closed on Neji's heels.

"Shisui, make sure that they leave the premises," Fugaku said.

Sasuke waited until his cousin had left the room before approaching his father. Fugaku Uchiha was staring at a piece of paper laid out on his desk. He pushed it towards Sasuke, who took it gingerly.

"Please tell me that you have nothing to do with that, Sasuke." Fugaku said.

Sasuke scanned the letter; it was mainly Hinata standing up to her father, apologising, but saying that she had to do 'this', whatever 'this' was; she was fairly vague. Some stuff about following her heart, and living her own life, rather than being afraid. Sasuke was fairly impressed; he could understand why Hinata had put it all in a letter and disappeared; his life wouldn't be worth living if he presented his own father with something like this.

"I knew nothing about this," he answered truthfully. "Though I think Hiashi is wrong; there's no reason for Hinata to go to Naruto. I don't know where she's gone."

Sasuke racked his brains, trying to think if Hinata had been acting strangely. He supposed that her big speech to him the other night had been different, but it really didn't indicate where she might have gone. His phone beeped. He glanced down, hoping for a message from Naruto.

"Karin says that she's not with them, and Karin has no reason to lie." He said. Karin also said that Naruto was pissed at him, but didn't say why. Hopefully she had been smart enough to not spill the beans about Hinata, though he didn't know why else he could be mad about.

"You said you spoke to her last night, what did she say?" Kushina asked.

"I don't really remember; some stuff about parachutes. Oh. And she asked me to look after the kitten." Sasuke felt like smacking himself on the forehead. He abstained because of the audience. Hinata had been saying good bye to the cat when he had run into her, no wonder she asked him to look after it. And now he thought about it, hadn't she said that she would be going away for a while?

"There's a kitten? Cute!" Sakura exclaimed.

Fugaku's brows crinkled ever so slightly into the tiniest of frowns. "What kitten?" He asked.

"Hinata and Juugo found it…" Sasuke trailed of in sudden realisation. Hinata and Juugo had become close in the last few weeks, surely if anyone knew where she had gone, it would be his large body guard.

He sent a quick text to Juugo, and as an afterthought to Suigetsu as well, asking them to meet him in his study. "I'm going to see if I can find any clues," he said, waiting for his father's nod before exiting the room. Sakura followed him out, which was a bit of a pain, as he had wanted to call Naruto to see why he was pissed at him. He supposed he should wait to talk to his lover until he had some news of Hinata, but he really wanted to hear his voice.

Sakura slipped an arm through his. "I'm glad to see you're better," she said. "I was worried about you."

It took Sasuke a moment to remember the story Itachi had spread about him being sick. "Yeah, I guess it was just a bug. I wouldn't get too close, though. I may still be contagious."

Sakura carefully disentangled herself from him. Sasuke could see himself being sick a lot once they were married.

Suigetsu was already in the study waiting for them; there was no sign of Juugo. Sakura paused in the doorway of the study.

"Where did you get all this furniture from?" She exclaimed.

"We found it," Sasuke replied with a small shrug. "Where's Juugo?" this last was directed at Suigetsu.

The pale haired man gave a small shrug. "I don't know, I've not seen him. He didn't show up for guard duty last night, either."

Sasuke suddenly had a very, very bad feeling. "Has anyone checked the CCTV for the grounds?" He asked.

"You mean about Hinata?" He shrugged. "Why should they? She left here last night, left a note for her daddy, then ran off. They're saying that she's with your…friend."

"We need to search Juugo's room," Sasuke said. "She's not with Naruto, I checked with Karin. But if Hinata and Juugo have both vanished…"

"They ran away together; how romantic!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"No, not romantic. I'm going to be blamed for this."

Sakura sobered up instantly. "Why would you be blamed; it's not your fault if they love each other. At least this way they can be together."

"It's not that simple," Sasuke ground out through gritted teeth. Even Sakura was jumping on the all you need is love bandwagon. "Look at what has happened because they acted on a stupid impulse. Hiashi has cut all ties with Uchiha, and he's deadly serious about it. Once it comes clear that Hinata has run off with my body guard, there will be a scandal. It will affect the Uchiha business, shares will fall. Maybe future clients won't do business with us. Every action has a reaction, you can't just do something because you want to; it's selfish."

Sakura's green eyes narrowed. "I think it's brave." She said. "I always thought Hinata was a bit of a wimp, but right now I wish I had half her courage. She's gone against her whole family for love."

"And it's completely screwed us over." Sasuke replied.

"We don't know that they ran off together, we don't even know if Juugo's gone; maybe he's just sick," Suigetsu interjected. "He could have what Sasuke had. Maybe Hinata just went off on her own."

Sasuke highly doubted that Juugo had been affected by the very specific malaise that had struck him down, but they all trekked to Juugo's room, just to be sure.

As Sasuke had expected, it was empty. Juugo clearly hadn't expected to return. And like Hinata, he had left a note. Sasuke grabbed it, feeling the air on his neck as Sakura and Suigetsu leaned over his shoulders to read it.

_I'm sorry, _it said, _I have betrayed a trust, and abandoned a post, and I am sorry for this, but I will not regret it. Sometimes the only thing one can do is follow their hearts. Please do not look for us, and please do not blame her. I will take any punishment needed, as long as we are allowed to remain together. _

_PS. Please remember to feed Kurohime._

Sasuke groaned. He was so screwed. Hiashi wouldn't believe that he had been unaware of this affair going on under his nose, and he doubted the excuse of his own illicit activities being much too distracting would help. Fugaku would believe that Sasuke had been unaware, but disappointed that he hadn't noticed. He had done nothing wrong, and it was still all his fault.

"Shit," he hissed. "We have to find them."

"I think by the time we find them, it will be too late," Sakura commented. "I know if I was to run off with my lover, I'd want to make it legitimate as quickly as possible."

"You mean you think they've eloped?" Sasuke asked, his voice strangled. "Crap, crap crap! They could already be married by now."

Sakura shook her head. "Doubtful. You don't just get married; you have to announce it first, then wait a minimum of fifteen days, and you need to have been a resident of the area for at least a week before that. Since I very much doubt that they would announce their impending wedding where Hinata's dad might find out, they've probably gone somewhere else. That gives us time."

"So we have three weeks to scour through all the upcoming weddings to find them," Sasuke said. Needles and haystacks came to mind.

"Unless they ran away to Scotland. You don't need to be a resident to marry there; you just need to give notice. They could hole up somewhere for the minimum amount of time before holding the ceremony; it's what I would do."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted the big dress, and the church and the flowers and everything else we've been spending the last month and a half organising," he said.

Sakura flushed. "Of course I do," she said, "I was just saying, hypothetically, if I were in that situation, that's what I would do."

"They may not even be getting married, you know," Suigetsu said; "Juugo may just be helping Hinata."

"Hinata's not stupid," Sasuke said. "If she's going to defy her father, she needs to have the law on her side, otherwise Hiashi could just paint Juugo as a kidnapper."

"He could still do that, and just say that Juugo forced her into marrying him," Suigetsu pointed out.

"I hope that Hinata has some decent witnesses," Sakura said. "She's going to need their support."

"If I have anything to do with it, this wedding is not going to happen," Sasuke said grimly. "What were they thinking?"

Sakura stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide with shock. "They're in love, Sasuke, that's what they were thinking, that they wanted to be together no matter what. Not everyone puts their family responsibilities first, you know." She turned on her heel and stalked off. Sasuke watched her go, puzzled; it was more like something Naruto would say than Sakura.

His phone ringing distracted him. He still hadn't changed his ringtone, and Suigetsu smirked at him. Sasuke answered the phone before checking to see who was calling to stop the appalling song.

"So you are talking to me then."

"Naruto," Sasuke's legs turned to jelly at the sound of his lover's voice.

"Why didn't you answer my text?" Naruto demanded.

Belatedly, Sasuke remembered that Karin had said that Naruto was pissed at him. "Text? I…" Sasuke trailed off; he remembered getting the message, and feeling warm and fuzzy inside until the despair slowly came back, and then…"I didn't reply to your text," he groaned. "I'm sorry, Naruto, I was ill."

"Yeah, well I hope so; was there vomiting?"

"No."

"Pity, you deserve it after ignoring me for over a day. And then you contact Karin, rather than me. What's happened to Hinata?"

Of course Karin wouldn't be able to keep quiet, Sasuke thought sourly. He was desperately trying to think of something to say that wouldn't worry Naruto, when Suigetsu snatched the phone from him.

"She's eloped with Juugo," he said.

Sasuke snatched his phone back, pushing past his bodyguard and heading to his own room and relative privacy.

"Sasuke?"

"I'm back. I'm going somewhere private."

"Juugo…I didn't see that one coming."

"Yeah, well keep it to yourself, no one else knows he's missing yet."

"Sasuke, they're going to notice eventually. He's pretty big; he stands out."

Sasuke scowled. He wanted Naruto there with him now. Damn Naruto for being away, and damn Hinata and Juugo for doing something so stupid.

"I'm going to find them and bring them back," Sasuke said. He had arrived in his room. He shut the new door and locked it. The kitten had been in his underwear draw, and there were socks scattered all over the room. Sasuke flopped onto his bed with a groan.

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Hinata won't stay away forever, they'll come back eventually."

"I'm going to stop them before they do anything stupid; as it is, relations between Hyuuga and Uchiha are strained. If it comes out that Hinata has run off with my bodyguard, Hiashi will have a field day."

"Unbelievable. Is that really all you're concerned about? Hinata has the courage to do what you won't, and you plan to shit on her and sell her out? You are such a complete twat, you know that?"

"Why am I the only one who sees the damage this is doing?" Sasuke said through gritted teeth. Naruto should be offering him some sort of comfort or support, but instead he was siding with Sakura of all people.

"Oh, grow up and grow a pair, Sasuke. The only people who worry about your family's precious reputation are you and your dad. No one else cares; the proud and illustrious Uchiha family won't fail just because someone follows their heart. Duty is dry and bitter, and it will choke you. Well fine, if you want that, but don't go forcing it on Hinata, or me for that matter." Naruto's voice was rising as he got into his rant; normally when he got like this, Sasuke would try and entice him into some rough sex, but he was over the other side of the country at the moment, and Sasuke didn't think that phone sex would cut it.

"I'm not forcing-" Sasuke tried, but Naruto had the bit between his teeth now.

"I bet you her father pushed her into this," Naruto continued, "he must have heard about me, and decided to try and force more suitors on her. Hinata hates that; I bet you she ran away because of it, and you want to force her back? I won't let you, Sasuke. I swear, if you try I'll stop you."

"How?" Sasuke demanded, "You're not even here. Will you cut your little tour short for _her_?"

"I'll finish with you. I mean it, you can fuck your life up, but I won't let you hurt anyone else."

For a moment Sasuke couldn't breathe; "You wouldn't," he said.

"Try me." Naruto's voice was soft, and Sasuke knew that he meant what he said.

The prospect of life without Naruto was suffocating. He hated the power the other man had over him; he hated it, yet he craved it. And after his brief spell of hibernation, he knew exactly what his life would be like without Naruto.

"I can't be without you," Sasuke found himself saying. It was true, but it was a truth that he hadn't meant to reveal. No living thing could survive without sunlight, and Naruto was his sun.

"So, all you need to do is leave Hinata alone."

"I can't, not with the family reputation on the line, please, Naruto."

Naruto sighed. "Look, Sasuke. Uchiha is bigger, stronger and nastier than Hyuuga; your family will survive this. Maybe you should play the media, give them Hinata's Cinderella story. Make Hiashi look bad first. Stop panicking."

Sasuke found himself feeling calmer; his heart had been pounding painfully since he had discovered that Hinata was missing. "You're right," he said. "Though to really make it work, it will need to come from Hinata. Damn her, why didn't she come to us?"

"Well, from your reaction, I would say that it was a good thing."

"Naruto, I really need you here."

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke, you don't need anyone; you don't need your father's approval, and you don't need me. You want it, but you don't need it."

Sasuke thought about his time spent under his covers. He wasn't about to tell Naruto about that; the blond would either laugh or pity him, neither of which was a desirable outcome. "Fine," he said, "then I really want you here."

"And I really want you to cancel the wedding, and tell everyone about us," Naruto replied.

"Naruto…"

"No, I know. I'm just not the most important thing to you."

"You are," Sasuke insisted; "Weren't you listening in the church? And you read my letter."

"If I were, you would put me first, and you never do that. So you don't need me; you say you want me here, yet you don't answer my texts; I always seem to be calling you. I'm still really pissed off at you, Sasuke, but what's the point of fighting? Look, I'm going to go before I say something we'll both regret. I'll see you soon; I love you."

"Naruto!" The line was dead. Sasuke curled up on his bed and cried for a bit, feeling like he was being torn in two. His tears eventually dried up, but his despair remained, the darkness threatening to choke him. He ignored it; he was done with sulking, and done with feeling sorry for himself. He would find a compromise. He would. But for now, he needed to focus.

Naruto had a good idea; and if Sasuke could turn the whole sorry affair into something beneficial for the Uchiha, so much the better. His father had always seen their links with the Hyuuga as a necessary evil; Hiashi had too much power as far as Fugaku was concerned, but some of that power was government links, which Uchiha didn't have. Fugaku preferred to remain independent, and use the Hyuuga as a proxy when needed. Still, it made the Hyuuga more powerful. If Sasuke could discredit them, their power would fall, and Fugaku would see to it that the Uchiha would rise.

He started by calling Suigetsu. He needed to find Hinata and Juugo; Suigetsu was by no means ideal for this task, but he was the only person Sasuke had left. Suigetsu was to keep on trying to contact Juugo, and let Sasuke know if he heard anything back. Since Sakura's Scotland idea was the only real viable theory they had, he gave Suigetsu the keys to his other car, and told him to head up there to search. It left Sasuke without any security team or method of transport, but it wasn't like he was planning on going anywhere.

The next step was Kushina. She had taken Hinata under her wing, so would want to support her. She also didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her, and would be positively gleeful to be given the opportunity to tweak Hiashi's nose, as it were.

It took a brief search, but he found her still in the mansion. For some reason she was hanging around outside Sakura's door. Sasuke decided that he really didn't want to know why.

"I need to talk to you," he said.

She folded her arms, and gave him a look tinged with hostility. "What about?" She demanded.

"Hinata," Sasuke replied.

That got her attention. She followed him back to his study. Sasuke perched on one of the desks. Someone had added a battered old couch in one corner, he noticed. God knows where they had found that. Kushina sat down on it, and stared at him expectantly.

"Have you found her?" She demanded.

"Not yet. Look, it's not common knowledge, but Juugo has vanished too. He left a note, like Hinata's. It looks like they've run off together; Sakura thinks they've eloped."

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "Sakura knows? Who else?"

"Me, Suigetsu, Naruto, Karin, and you."

Kushina nodded. "At least she's in good hands; I was worried that Hiashi had done something to her, and was putting the blame on us as a smokescreen. So, why have you told me this; what do you want?"

"Naruto had an idea," Sasuke began, knowing that she would be more likely to go along with it knowing that the idea came from Naruto. "We think you're partly right; Hiashi was going to do something, and that's why Hinata and Juugo fled now. We need to expose him, for Hinata's sake."

Kushina snorted. "For your sake, you mean. Attack Hyuuga before they can attack Uchiha."

Sasuke suppressed a sigh. She was going to be difficult. "I agree that I would benefit," he said, "but Hinata would as well. You know how her father has been with her, constantly pushing suitors onto her because of their wealth or status. It would make a good story, if one were to go to the right people."

"And what does Hinata think of this? She's a private person, I doubt that she wants her personal life flashed all over the tabloids."

"I'm trying to find her. Besides, it will work out in her favour."

Kushina tapped her lip thoughtfully, and evil glint in her eyes. "You know, I have an even better story; the passionate love between the heirs of Uchiha and Namikaze."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't," he breathed.

"I should. Wouldn't that solve a lot of problems? I won't, though, because Naruto wouldn't like it. Which is why I won't expose Hinata, at least not until she agrees to it herself. Do your own dirty work, though I should warn you that if you do run a story about this elopement, I may have to send in something of my own."

Sasuke gritted his teeth; he should have known that it was a bad idea to include her in this. "Fine, what if we leave the elopement out; Hinata vanishing will be common news soon; if Hiashi wants to go against us he will have to reveal it. What if we just include the part about him driving her away, his archaic treatment of his own daughter. If Hinata agrees to it, we can release the rest later."

Kushina smiled. "Very devious," she said. "Though you will need Hiashi to announce her disappearance first; he may want to keep it close, and rely on private detective to find her. You're using a mallet, to get out a splinter when you should be using a needle. Leave this to me; sometimes the right word in the right ear can hook that pesky piece of wood right out, without resorting to pounding yourself into jam in the process."

She left Sasuke feeling very nervous. When he pressed her, Kushina had smiled a secretive smile, and placed a finger on her lips. Sasuke wondered if she was just playing with him. There was nothing else he could do, though; he hoped that Suigetsu found Hinata soon.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The next few days passed in a sort of haze; Sasuke heard nothing from Naruto, or Karin, or Suigetsu. Kushina seemed to be avoiding him, and every time he did see her, she would just smile secretively at him. He was sure that he was the butt of some elaborate joke she had concocted.

He had taken to spending a lot of time with Itachi; he had gone to his brother's room after talking with Kushina to discover that Neji had returned. Neji's disagreeable presence didn't stop Sasuke from visiting, though.

The day before Naruto was due to return, Sasuke had caved, and tried to call him. There was no answer; Karin didn't answer her phone, either. He managed to get through to Suigetsu, who hadn't managed to locate Hinata or Juugo. He had spoken to Karin, and passed on a message from her; Naruto had told her not to contact him. She apologised, which didn't really do Sasuke much good. She was supposed to be working for him, not Naruto.

It was now Tuesday, the day Naruto was supposed to return. Sasuke still hadn't managed to get a hold of him, but not for want of trying. He had left countless voicemail and text messages; he had even sent a few emails. He had figured out that Naruto was purposefully ignoring him, but he couldn't seem to stop contacting him. It was like some sort of horrible compulsion.

Sasuke glanced at the clock. It was gone five; the day was almost gone, and still no sign of Naruto. He knew that Naruto was unhappy with him, but he had hoped that he would have cooled down by now; obviously Naruto was punishing him. Part of Sasuke felt that he deserved it; the rest was mainly concerned with how much he needed Naruto there now.

He didn't particularly want to go down to dinner, but Itachi had been pretty specific as to what would happen if he locked himself away and stopped eating again. Never mind that everything Sasuke put in his mouth tasted of ashes. _What if Naruto wasn't coming back?_ A small voice whispered in the back of his mind. _What if he has decided that he can live without you?_ The voice was getting louder and louder as the day wore on. With a sigh, Sasuke rescued a sock from the kitten, and headed downstairs.

Since Hinata's disappearance, Mikoto had decided to cancel any large dinners. Neji was pretending that he wasn't there, so he and Itachi tended to eat upstairs. Mikoto would often bring food to them herself, and sometimes eat with them. Kushina occasionally turned up, but then, no one really had any control over her movements. So Sasuke wasn't really surprised to see her sat at the table when he entered the dining room. What did surprise him was the blond sat beside her.

It felt like the ground had crumbled beneath his feet, like the air had turned arid and toxic; his heart pounded so hard and fast it felt like it was about to launch straight out of his chest, and land in the blond's lap. Naruto was there, finally, and Sasuke longed to run to him, hold him, kiss him bury his face in his chest and beg him to never leave him. But he couldn't; he was suddenly aware of the eyes on him, hard, dark Uchiha eyes for the most part, but one pair was green he knew.

Sasuke tried to stay calm, and not show that every nerve he possessed was now on fire. He sat down in his usual seat, and locked eyes with Naruto. The blueness enveloped him; he wasn't drowning in them so much as floating, floating on a wide blue ocean, the rays of the sun bathing him, and making him alive again.

"Naruto. When did you get back?"His throat was dry, and he hoped that his voice hadn't sounded hoarse; he could hardly tell himself, as his heart was pounding in his ears like the sound of waves crashing against rocks.

Naruto shrugged with a nonchalance that must have been false. "A few hours ago," he said.

"Hours?" Sasuke choked the word out. Where the hell was Karin; she should have reported to him the moment she arrived back.

"Yeah. Well, I had to unpack, and catch up with my family; the usual sort of thing." Naruto grabbed his bowl as it was set in front of him, and began to wolf his soup down eagerly.

Sasuke knew that he was still being punished; he wasn't sure if it was for not replying to the text, or the wedding, or Hinata, but Naruto was definitely doing this on purpose. He chose his next words carefully. "I wish I had known you were back," he said, "I've got several urgent matters to discuss with you."

"I bet," Naruto snorted, continuing to inhale his soup.

Sasuke glanced down at his bowl as it was placed in front of him; it was tomato soup, his favourite, but he knew he would vomit if he tried to eat anything. "Really urgent," he said. "In fact, I think we should discuss them right now."

"I'm eating," Naruto replied.

"I'll buy you a pizza," Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Naruto considered him for a long moment, then his sunny grin broke out on his face, the one that had Sasuke melting into a puddle of goo. "Ok," he said.

Sasuke was barely aware of the eyes on him as he got up and left the room; he hoped that he hadn't come across as too weird. In contrast, he was very aware of Naruto walking behind him as he led the way to his bedroom. He itched to touch Naruto, but the other man was remaining behind him. Sasuke could hear Naruto's footsteps the soft sound of him breathing. He felt as if he was Orpheus in the underworld, and if he glanced back, Naruto would be gone. He paused with his hand on his new door handle, suddenly irrationally convinced that this would be the case. Then Naruto's hand came around to rest on his; he could feel his breath on the back of his neck. Sasuke closed his eyes in relief. They opened the door together.

Then they were kissing; Sasuke wasn't even aware of the steps taken between opening the door and standing in the middle of his room, locked in a tight embrace. All he was aware of was Naruto's mouth on his, hard and needy and oh so good. The kiss was lips and teeth and tongues, moans shared as if on one breath. Arms tangling, legs tangling; they were on the floor, and Sasuke wasn't aware of how that had happened, either. All he knew was Naruto was there, and holding him. He could feel a wetness on his cheeks, and he wondered which one of them was crying.

The kiss stopped as abruptly as it had begun; Sasuke found himself lying on his back, gasping for breath. Naruto sat beside him, one arm draped over a raised knee, his eyes slowly scoping out the room.

"What happened?" he asked.

Sasuke sat up, examining the scene of devastation that his room had become. "The kitten mainly, though the door was Neji and Itachi," he said, "Naruto, I-"

Naruto turned to him, and the look in his eyes stopped Sasuke's words. "I don't want to hear it," he said. "I swear, sometimes I don't know whether I want to hit you or cry for you. Right now, it's a bit of both."

"I was just going to say I missed you," Sasuke said softly. "And I love you."

Naruto's eyes turned sad. "But still not enough to call off the wedding and be with me," he said.

"No!" Sasuke said, desperate to remove the sadness from Naruto's eyes, desperate for him to see the truth. "I love you more than anything. I just can't act selfishly because of it. Say we run off like Hinata, go to Canada, or Spain and get married. What then? What do you think my father would do to the people who helped us? What would he do to your family, or to you? Trust me on this, and look to the Hyuuga. Hiashi has angered my father with his accusations; he will be a shell of himself in a year. I can't have that on my conscience, just to be with you, I can't. I've tried to come up with a way for us to be together where no one gets hurt, and I'm going to carry on trying."

His mind went to the two letters tucked under his mattress; they were useless, now, but the plan still remained. It was a last resort, but it was there. If he couldn't come up with anything else, then they would have to do it, but the cost was still as terrible, in its own way.

"Like I said, I don't know whether to cry or hit you."Naruto did neither; instead, he took Sasuke into his arms again. "The thing is," Naruto continued, "you keep on saying you don't want anyone get hurt, while you're slowly bleeding away, you masochistic bastard. Don't you dare think I don't see it, 'cos I do. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke murmured, feeling like that was the right thing to say. Naruto let out a long sigh and stood up, awkwardly shifting his hold on Sasuke until he was carrying him bridal style. Sasuke endured it, allowing Naruto to carry him to the bed. Naruto dropped Sasuke onto the bed, and lay down beside him. Sasuke turned so he was facing Naruto, reaching out and stroking the messy blond locks that threatened to droop into Naruto's eyes. Sasuke wondered when he had last had a hair cut.

"I dreamed about this every night," Naruto said, "just holding you close. Sleeping has been hard, and waking up is sheer hell when you're not there. I was so mad at you; I still am, actually. But I knew that the minute I saw you, you would do that thing where I just had to be kissing you."

As if to demonstrate his point, Naruto leaned in and kissed Sasuke again. Gently this time, a soft sensual exploration of lips against lips, tongues slowly coming into play as the kiss deepened and intensified. Sasuke felt that he could remain like that forever, he wished that someone would freeze them so they remained the same for all eternity, just like that.

Naruto rolled him onto his back, and the moment was lost to be replaced by another one just as intense. Naruto removed Sasuke's shirt, his hands exploring his chest and abdomen, stroking and caressing, occasionally the edge of a nail ran across Sasuke's skin, too softly to hurt. Sasuke slid his own hands up Naruto's t-shirt. There was no way to remove it short of tearing it without breaking the kiss. Sasuke explored the warm skin and hard muscles of Naruto's body, fingers brushing the light trail of fair hair that disappeared into his trousers.

Naruto broke the kiss to pull his t-shirt over his head; Sasuke made a small sound of protest.

"I want you naked," Naruto said, I want to feel your skin pressed against mine, I want to feel you."

Sasuke wriggled out of his clothing, watching as Naruto removed his trousers, and then they were kissing again, locked together in another perfect moment. Sasuke dug his fingers into Naruto's shoulder blades, loving the solid feeling of him. He could feel Naruto's cock, hot and hard, against his thigh, and he wanted it, desperately. Masturbation, even phone sex, was nothing compared to the feeling of Naruto's body pressed against his, his cock buried deep in Sasuke's ass.

Sasuke removed one hand from Naruto, and blindly groped around for some lube. Naruto's mouth was on his chest now, kissing every inch of his body. Sasuke's fingers closed around the lube, and he shifted, pushing Naruto onto his back, and straddling his hips.

Naruto's eyes were stormy with lust as he watched Sasuke pop open the tube of lube, and coat his fingers. "Turn around so I can watch," he said.

Sasuke moaned, and did as he was told. He placed one slick finger against his entrance. Somehow, having Naruto watch him do this felt far more intimate than when Naruto fingered him. He slid the finger in slowly, letting out a soft groan as it easily slid to the knuckle. He fucked himself with it, sliding his finger all the way out before pushing it in again. Naruto's cock was close to his face; he could see the pre-come beading on the tip. Sasuke leaned forward, propping himself with one hand, while he continued to move the finger of the other in and out of his ass. He lapped at the head of Naruto's cock, before taking the entire length into his mouth. At the same time, he slid another slick finger into his ass.

He heard Naruto let out a deep moan, felt his cock throb in his mouth. Sasuke gave it a suck, before slowly sliding his mouth back up the length, keeping the suction up. He curled his finger's to stimulate his prostate. He remembered the phone sex, and wondered if Naruto would let him slip a finger or two into his ass. Or maybe something more. Sasuke rejected that thought almost immediately, though. He felt vulnerable enough already, he didn't think he'd be able to give up all control at the moment, no matter how much he may want it.

Then all thought fled as Sasuke felt one of Naruto's fingers press against his anus. He groaned as it slid in next to his own digits. He could feel Naruto's finger pressed against his own in the tight confines of his ass, and it felt hot as hell. He tightened his mouth around Naruto's cock; he had missed the taste of it, the feel of it in his mouth. It was good, so good. But he wanted it inside his ass; he wanted Naruto to fuck away all the pain and doubt and fears, he wanted to make love to him slowly and sweetly, he wanted to be pounded hard and fast; he wanted Naruto.

He released Naruto's cock, and extracted his fingers from his ass. "I want you, now," he explained as he turned around. Naruto looked up at him with his eyes lidded, a soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Sasuke grasped the lubed, and hastily spread some on Naruto's cock before sinking down on it.

Sasuke tipped his head back and let out a cry as he sheathed Naruto's dick completely inside himself. It felt like heaven; he was full, he was complete. His ass ached and pulsed with pleasure at the same time. Sasuke stared down into Naruto's eyes as he rode him slowly; rising up so only the tip was inside, before sinking all the way back down again.

He watched as the emotions played across Naruto's face; he could see his love reflected in those blue eyes. Naruto raised a hand to his cheek, and Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled down into a kiss, then deftly rolled onto his back.

He wrapped his legs around Naruto's hips, ceding control for the moment. Naruto kissed him as he thrust slowly into Sasuke. The pleasure was so intense, it felt like his whole body was on fire, like lightening was crackling through his veins. He gripped Naruto tightly, digging his nails into the flesh of his biceps.

Sasuke was aware that he was crying out, sobbing with the pleasure that burned in him, but he didn't care, nothing mattered except Naruto; Naruto became his world.

He arched his back as he climaxed, feeling Naruto's seed spill inside at almost the same moment. They continued kissing, no words spoken, Naruto's cock still lodged inside Sasuke.

Sasuke knew in that moment that this was what he wanted, what he needed. Naruto was his everything, and he couldn't be without him. A strange chill went through him as he realised that no matter what happened, he couldn't marry Sakura; the wedding wasn't going to happen. It was like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Still. He didn't know how, yet, apart from that one plan. So he would keep his sudden epiphany to himself, locked deep inside his heart.

He slipped into an easy, dreamless sleep, wrapped in Naruto's arms. Feeling warm, and safe and cherished.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Bit late with this one; I do apologise, though I am glad that I managed to get it up today, as I am going away for a few days tomorrow, and I would have hated to just leave it hanging.**

**As always, thanks to all who have read, favourited, and especialy to those who have taken the time to review and let me know what you think; all feedback is always apreciated. **

**I still don't own anything :(**

**Please let me know what you think :D**

Chapter Twelve

_15__th__ August – 1 Month and 1 day to the Wedding_

Naruto woke to the sound of Y.M.C.A playing rather loudly. He snickered to himself; that was one of his better choices. He heard Sasuke grumble, and shift against him as he turned to grab his phone.

"Yes?" Sasuke snapped irritably.

Naruto glanced at the clock over Sasuke's shoulder, and decided that it was still too early to get up. He snuggled up against Sasuke's back, closing his eyes. He was woken by Sasuke shaking his shoulder minutes later.

"What?" he mumbled sleepily. He had been having a nice dream; he and Sasuke had a pet unicorn-boat, and they had been out fishing. The motion of the waves had been pleasant, and every time he kissed Sasuke he tasted the salt from the spray on his lips. He really wanted to go back there.

"They've found her," Sasuke said, slipping out of bed.

Naruto sat up, instantly awake. There was no need to as who she was, he knew: Hinata. Over the past two weeks, it had become Sasuke's latest I'm-too-busy-doing-this-to-focus-on-the-wedding obsession. He had sent Karin after Suigetsu last week, figuring that two would be better than one, especially since Suigetsu had made zero progress.

Naruto and Sasuke had spent a lot of their time trawling the internet, trying to find possible sightings. Hiashi Hyuuga had so far kept his daughter's disappearance quiet, sending out a few private investigators to try to find her instead of making it general knowledge. Sasuke had attempted to hack into the different agencies he was using, but as of yet they had had no luck. A sort of cold war had built up between the Hyuuga and Uchiha. All business dealings had been called off, any social events where one was attending had been given a wide berth by members of the other family. So far there had been no outright attacks, but the tension in the Uchiha mansion was palpable.

Neji remained by Itachi's side; his presence was tolerated by Fugaku as long as he wasn't seen. This had meant that Sasuke and Naruto had been given the task of helping Itachi around the grounds, while Neji stayed out of sight. Itachi's condition had improved again, and he liked to take walks in the fresh air while he could. These excursions were normally taken with Itachi's hulking body guard, Kisame, who scared the piss out of Naruto.

Little time was left for the wedding, for which Naruto was grateful; he didn't think he could survive another I-love-you-but-I-have-to-do-this argument without Sasuke losing some teeth.

Surprisingly, Sakura didn't seem to mind that Sasuke was barely involved in any further wedding preparations; she seemed genuinely concerned about Hinata, and often offered to help. Occasionally Sasuke would take her up on the offer, but never alone with him. One memorable time, he had teamed her up with Karin. Naruto still wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but Sakura had come back limping, swearing that she would "end the bitch" if she breathed the same air as her ever again. Karin had returned shortly after, grinning broadly. It was just after that that Sasuke had sent Karin off to help Suigetsu.

And then there was Sasuke; ever since Naruto had left him to stew on his own for a week and a half, Sasuke had seemed different. The morning after their re-union he had been positively elated; Naruto was sure that Sasuke had smiled more in the last two weeks than he had in his whole life previously. These happy moods were interspersed with moments of deep depression, where Sasuke would scowl into space, as if the wall in front of him had deeply offended him. Sasuke's increasingly bipolar mood swings were a cause of alarm to Naruto, who had initially worried that he had broken Sasuke by abandoning him for a week. Except, that didn't make any sense; Sasuke had managed months at a time without Naruto previously. Becoming lovers hadn't changed their dynamic that much.

Naruto had come to the conclusion that Sasuke was plotting something. He hoped that it wasn't a way to drag Hinata back to her father; in the heat of the moment he had threatened Sasuke with breaking up with him the last time he had suggested doing that. If Sasuke did it anyway, he would have to follow through with his threat, as much as it would kill him. He was pretty sure that Sasuke would cave before he did. Pretty sure. Not sure enough to use it as leverage to get Sasuke to break off the wedding. Not yet, anyway, though he had been tempted.

Naruto shook off such thoughts, climbing out of bed; he had a plan ready if Sasuke didn't cancel the wedding, so he wouldn't need to resort to such drastic measures. It had come to him last week, so obvious that he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner.

He found Sasuke trying to extract the kitten from his underwear draw. He caught Sasuke around the waist, and placed a kiss against his neck.

"Who found her?" He asked. "Is she a miss or a Mrs?"

"Karin, and she didn't say. We need to get up there, though."

Sasuke deposited the kitten onto the floor, and turned in Naruto's arms, looping his arms loosely around his lover's neck. "I really need to talk to her; if we can convince her to discredit her father, maybe…" he trailed off, his eyes going distant.

Naruto tightened his grip on Sasuke's waist, pulling their bodies closer together. They both slept naked, and Naruto liked the feeling of Sasuke's skin on his. "What will you tell Sakura? I'm sure she's not going to be happy with you going away this close to the wedding."

A shadow flickered in Sasuke's eyes briefly. "I don't care," he replied. "We're going. Anyway, Sakura wants Hinata to be OK, too. I suppose if she really fusses I can say we're going to scope out possible honeymoon destinations."

Naruto frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be going on a safari?" He asked.

Sasuke snorted. "I cancelled that," he said.

"And Sakura's OK with that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, I haven't told her yet, so let's hope that she'll be happy knowing that we're going after Hinata."

He slipped out of Naruto's arms, and vanished into the bathroom. Naruto stared after him, perplexed. Episodes like this, with Sasuke's attitude to the wedding becoming increasingly flippant were becoming more and more regular. Considering how highly strung Sasuke had been about the whole thing not too long ago, Naruto was unable to fathom where this new attitude had sprung from. Not that he cared if Sasuke was bothered about the wedding; he rather preferred him like this. It was just strange. Shrugging it off, he followed Sasuke into the shower.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It turned out that dealing with Sakura was the least of their problems; she had been happy for them to go, saying that she would have come with them if there wasn't still so much to sort for the wedding. Naruto found himself grateful for the damn thing for the first time.

His mother was another matter. Naruto had returned home to pack, since Sasuke reckoned that they would be gone for a few days. Kushina appeared in his doorway as he was zipping up his suitcase.

"Where are you off too, chickpea?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

Naruto turned to her with a grin. "We found Hinata," he said. "Me and Sasuke are going after her."

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "Why?" She demanded. "That boy of yours had better not be planning to make her do something she doesn't want to."

Naruto rolled his eyes. For all that he was harbouring similar doubts himself, he didn't like anyone bad-mouthing Sasuke, even if that person was his own mother. "Like I would let him," he said. "We're just going to talk to her. I'm hoping that she and Juugo will come back with us, though. Even if she doesn't go back to her family, she should know that she's welcome here."

Kushina snorted. "Of course she's welcome here," she said. "In fact, I'll get Minato to make up a guest room for them. Just because her father doesn't like what she's done, doesn't mean that she's alone in this."

Naruto had a sudden stab of premonition. A sinking feeling in the pit of his belly preceded his next words. "Uh, mum, why can't you get a room ready for them?" He asked.

Kushina smiled at him, the sort of smile that made puppy farmers piss their pants in terror. "Because I'm coming with you. I can't trust you and Sasuke to get the right message across to Hinata. Left to you two, you'd probably muck it up, and have her running away again."

Naruto groaned; so much for a few days away with Sasuke. Of course, once his mother made up her mind, there was no dissuading her. Even if Naruto managed to leave her behind, he was sure that she would find a way to follow them.

It got worse; Sasuke arrived a short while later, and he was not alone. Since both of Sasuke's cars were up in Scotland with Suigetsu and Karin, he had said that he would borrow Itachi's car. Evidently, when you borrowed Itachi's car, Itachi, Neji and Kisame came as standard.

Sasuke dragged Naruto away for a quiet word as Kushina was loading their luggage into the boot.

"Why is your mother coming with us?" Sasuke hissed at him.

"I could ask the same about your brother and his bloody entourage," Naruto replied. "She invited herself. Is Itachi well enough for this?"

Sasuke shrugged, a dark look on his face. "He says he is, and Neji wouldn't let him go if he wasn't."

"Does your father know about this?"

Sasuke groaned. "God, I hope not. He can go days without noticing Itachi, so I figure we're safe, as long as the journey doesn't kill him." He chewed his lip nervously. "Mother knows. She's not happy, but she understands; Itachi just wants to get out of the house, see somewhere other than his room or the hospital. Maybe this will be his last chance to do it."

Tears shone in Sasuke's eyes. Not caring that there was a small audience, Naruto took him in his arms. Sasuke let out a soft sob, and relaxed into Naruto's embrace.

"So we're stuck with them," Naruto said, stroking his fingers through Sasuke's hair. He felt Sasuke nod against his chest. He sighed. "Fine, but they're booking their own damn hotel rooms, no way am I sleeping in the bathroom again."

That got a soft snort of laughter from Sasuke. Naruto waited until Sasuke composed himself, before taking his hand and leading him to the car.

It was large, closer to a van or a minibus than a car. As far as Naruto could remember, it had been custom made for Itachi, to fit in any medical equipment he might need. Itachi had been free of drips and various machinery for weeks, so the only sign of his frailty were the wheel chair and crutches tucked in the boot.

There were two rows of back seats, designed to fold down if Itachi needed to lie down. Currently they were all upright. Kisame was driving, and Kushina had taken the passenger seat. Neji and Itachi had the more spacious front two seats, leaving Sasuke and Naruto to the cramped back. As they squeezed in, Naruto was already wishing that they had thought to book plane tickets. What would have been a 45 minute internal flight would take the best part of a day by road.

Sasuke's hand remained in his, fingers twisted tightly together, as the car slowly pulled down the drive. Sasuke was staring out of the window, but his dark eyes seemed focused on something other than the countryside flowing past.

"Naruto," he said softly, his eyes still distant, his head turned away. "While we're away, forget about the wedding. Don't mention it, don't think about it."

"What? You know you can't just ignore it and hope it will go away," Naruto said.

Sasuke turned to face him. "I know. Even so, while we're away, forget about it. I want to focus on us."

Naruto suppressed a sigh. "Ok," he said. He wished that he could just sweep the whole damn thing under the carpet, maybe stamp on it a few times. He supposed that it was too much to hope that when they came back Sasuke would actually speak to his father and Sakura, and cancel the bloody thing. They were getting really close to the actual day, and no expense had been spared. The Uchiha had spent a small fortune on the event, money that they would not get back if Sasuke procrastinated any longer.

"You're thinking about it," Sasuke said, a small wry smile twisting at his lips. "Stop it."

"It's a bit hard when it's only one month away," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke's eyes flicked towards the window again, and he bit his lip. "Well, will it help if I tell you a secret?" He asked, his voice so quiet it could barely be heard over the noise of the traffic around them.

Naruto folded his arms and scowled, wishing they were alone so he could maybe throttle Sasuke a little bit. "What secret?" He asked.

Sasuke turned, and put his lips against Naruto's ear. Naruto could feel his breath against his earlobe, and suddenly wished they were alone for a completely different reason.

"I'm not going through with it," Sasuke whispered in his ear.

Naruto jerked his head around so fast that they connected with a dull thump. They both let out a small yelp of pain.

"What? You're what!" Naruto exclaimed, rubbing his sore head. Sasuke was doing likewise, but there was an amused glint in his eyes.

"Not so loud," he said.

Naruto was suddenly aware of three pairs of eyes looking at them in barely concealed interest. Kisame was watching the road, but Naruto was sure that his ears had pricked up.

Naruto shot them a watery smile before turning back to Sasuke. "What do you expect when you tell me that?" He hissed. "And anyway, if you're not going through with it, why is Sakura still busy organising the damn thing? What are you going to do, Sasuke, just not turn up?"

"I thought you'd be pleased."

"I am; I'm ecstatic, watch me jump up and down with joy." Naruto bounced in his seat a few times. Damn bloody stubborn Sasuke. Why would he do this now? Naruto wanted to punch him, then kiss him, then drag him to bed and not let him leave for a week, but he couldn't do any of that because they were stuck in a car for the next seven or so hours. Plus, saying he wasn't going to go through with it was not the same as saying he had cancelled it.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, there's gratitude; I give you what you've been bugging me for for the last few months, and you get all sarcastic at me."

"Yeah, well I'm just wondering when you're planning on telling everyone that you no longer want to get married," Naruto hissed.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "I still haven't figured out how yet," he said.

Naruto clenched his fists to keep himself from violence. "I've been telling you how for the past few months," he said, "you just go to Sakura and say, 'I'm terribly sorry, but I'm gay so I can't marry you.' It's easy."

"And as I have been telling you for the past few months, it's not that simple. I admit, I should have been looking for a way out instead of just accepting that I had to go through with it, I'm sorry for that, but I can't just cancel it. I can't. I need to find a way of getting out of it that doesn't upset Sakura, or piss my father off."

"That's impossible." Naruto said flatly. "Just cancel it; dragging it out is only going to make things worse."

"God, you're impossible to please. Just trust me on this; I will find a way out of this. In fact, instead of being negative, maybe you could help me."

"I thought I just did. Can someone swap seats with me at the next bathroom break?" There was no way Naruto was going to last the whole journey with Sasuke like this.

"No," came from three different voices at the same time.

Naruto shot Sasuke a dark look. He supposed that he should be happy; it was a considerable breakthrough. Sasuke had finally admitted what had been patently obvious to everyone else for months; he couldn't go through with the wedding. But he was still dragging his feet over his stupid thrice damned family honour. Naruto could see that he was going to have to use his own plan, after all. Leaving things up to Sasuke would find his lover still dithering at the altar. Not that he was going to mention it to Sasuke; it was far from ideal, and he would rather that Sasuke sorted the whole mess out so he didn't have to.

Kushina had been fiddling with the CD player. The opening bars of Les Miserables thrummed through the car, and Kushina let out a happy cry. Pretty soon, she, Itachi and Kisame were singing along; occasionally Neji would join in. Itachi made a pretty good Jean Valjean.

Naruto felt a light touch on his leg. He turned to find Sasuke looking at him, dark eyes contrite.

"I don't want to fight with you," Sasuke said. "I just want us to be together. It's all I want."

Naruto sighed, and placed his hand over Sasuke's, giving it a squeeze. "I know," he said. "It's all I want , too. You just make everything so damn hard."

"I'm sorry, it's just that-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if you don't want to fight," Naruto said. "Let's just not talk about it when we're away."

Sasuke smiled, resting his head on Naruto's shoulder with a small sound of contentment. Naruto knew that he shouldn't give in to Sasuke, that he should press his point, but it wasn't really the ideal place. Later would be soon enough; they wouldn't be gone long in any case, only a few days. Hopefully it would give Sasuke enough time to think things through, and realise that Naruto was right. And if he didn't, well, Naruto supposed that then they would have the argument.

The journey seemed to take longer than it should; Itachi apparently owned a lot of musical theatre soundtracks, and Kushina wanted to sing along to all of them. Naruto had planned to nap in the car, but it was hard with all the singing going on. He wouldn't have minded, but musical theatre really wasn't his thing.

Karin met them at the last service station before they left the motorway. Sasuke and Naruto thankfully climbed into the back of Sasuke's car, leaving the others to their singing.

"Ok," Karin said, "the wedding is tomorrow. Hinata knows you're coming by the way, though I don't think she expected such a crowd. Why are they all here?"

"They invited themselves," Sasuke said. "At least Hinata will have some wedding guests."

Karin's shoulder raised in a slight shrug. "Well, there isn't going to be a buffet, or a reception really…there's a pub next door to the guest house, though."

Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was staring pensively out of the window. "You're not going to try to stop them, are you?" He asked.

Sasuke shot him an incredulous look. "I said I wouldn't," he replied. "Besides, I need Hinata on my side. She's hardly going to help me if I ruin her wedding."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Help you with what?" He asked. He had thought that they had come all this way to get Hinata back, and possibly try and reconcile her with her father. Apparently, Sasuke had other ideas.

Sasuke smiled, a flash of white teeth that had Naruto thinking shark. "If I want to cancel my wedding," he said, "and believe me, I do, I need something to appease my father. He has never really got along with Hiashi, but if Hinata took control of the family business, with the full support of Uchiha, of course, we could all profit greatly." He smiled smugly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why do you have to make everything so complicated?" He asked. "Hinata doesn't even want anything to do with the family business. Why would she take it over?"

"Even better; maybe she would sell all her shares to me." Sasuke didn't cackle and rub his hands together manically, but Naruto could imagine him doing this.

"You do realise that she may get disowned for marrying Juugo," Naruto said. "I'm sure your dad will appreciate all the non-shares."

Sasuke grinned again. "She will still hold any shares she had, she just won't get her inheritance. And since I've spent the last few days investing in certain Hyuuga operations, I think between us it will be enough to make Hiashi very worried."

Naruto shook his head. He preferred his father's approach to business, which was very straight forward, and involved doing a lot of the work yourself. The thought of bits of electronic money whipping through the ether, and deciding whether a business stood or fell made his head hurt a bit.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Karin took them to a small village with an unpronounceable name. The main street had a few shops, but was mainly houses painted in different pastel colours. The guest house was just off the main road, facing the sea; it was small, a short terrace that had been converted at some point. The pub next to it, by comparison, was a hulking old building that looked like it had been there for several centuries.

As Karin pulled the car around the back, Naruto spotted Hinata sat with a very pregnant woman in the garden of the guest house. He leaped out of the car, and ran to her, aware of Sasuke following at a more sedate pace. She let out a startled giggle as he gave her a huge hug. He was surprised how good it was to see her; she had been a close friend for years, and he had missed her.

Hinata smiled at Sasuke, but her expression turned wary as Kushina and the other's joined them.

"Why so many of you?" She asked, "I hope that you aren't planning on forcing me back?"

"If anyone tried that, I'd stop them," Kushina declared.

"I'm just here for my little cousin's wedding," Neji said, pulling Hinata into a hug.

Hinata blushed, and let out a small, nervous giggle. "Thank you," she said. "This is Kurenai," she said, gesturing to the pregnant woman once Neji released her. "She owns the guest house, and she's been a real help to me."

The various introductions took several more minutes. Kurenai had enough rooms free to accommodate all of Hinata's impromptu wedding guests; she didn't so much as bat an eyelid to Naruto and Sasuke and Neji and Itachi sharing rooms.

As he entered the room, Naruto was pleased to see the large double bed in the centre. He flopped down onto it with a happy sigh, watching Sasuke as he fussed about unpacking. Naruto's belongings were dumped in the corner; since they were only going to be there a few days, he didn't see any point in taking anything out of his bag. Sasuke was a bit of a nester, though.

"Where's your toothbrush?" Sasuke called out from the bathroom.

Naruto frowned to himself. "I think I forgot it," he replied. "It's ok, I'll just use yours."

Sasuke appeared in the doorway, a look of disgust on his face. "No you won't," he said, "I know where your mouths been."

Naruto let out a snort of laughter. "Doesn't stop you from using your tongue when we kiss, though," he said.

Sasuke shot him a disgusted look, before ducking back into the bathroom. Naruto stared up at the ceiling, listening to Sasuke splash about. He was restless after spending most of the day in the car; he wondered if he could talk Sasuke into exploring with him. The village was in the middle of nowhere, but it was right next to the sea; the sun would be up for a few more hours yet, and it was a nice day. Perfect for a romantic beach walk.

Sasuke exited the bathroom, heading straight for the door. Naruto sat up on the bed. "Where are you going," he asked.

"To speak to Hinata. It was sort of the whole point of this trip."

"Sasuke, she's getting married tomorrow; leave the poor girl alone. Besides, I'm feeling all neglected." Naruto pouted for effect, tracing the pattern on the duvet with one finger.

Sasuke sighed, and sat down on the bed next to Naruto. Naruto grinned, then let out a gasp as Sasuke pushed him back onto the bed, and kissed him, a deep plundering of his mouth that was over before he could react. Naruto glared at Sasuke as he slipped off of the bed.

"I'm going to talk to Hinata now," Sasuke said, "after that I'll work on making you feel not neglected." He ducked out of the room, shooting Naruto a quick grin as he did so. Naruto flopped back onto the bed with a groan.

Since he wasn't going to hang around waiting for Sasuke, Naruto decided that he would do some exploring of his own. He found his mother in the pub, sampling the local whiskey with the locals. He glanced at his watch; it was only half five, and she already seemed pretty merry.

Naruto decided to leave her to her binge drinking; he spotted Karin, Suigetsu and Kisame sat in a corner, and went to join them.

"Your mum's impressive," Suigetsu said, "some of these guys have been pickling their livers in here for years, and she's matching them."

"That's not impressive," Naruto said, "anyway, she cheats. Keep an eye on her, she's a cuddly drunk." He grabbed a menu from the centre of the table; all that sitting around in a car listening to show tunes had made him hungry.

Naruto had something to eat, then decided that it was time to escort his mother back to her room. He dragged her, protesting, out of a crowd of admirers. They seemed to be upset that she was going, though Naruto wasn't entirely sure; he found the Scottish accent hard enough to understand; adding alcohol had made it almost impossible.

The light was beginning to fade, he noticed as he dragged Kushina into the guest house, and deposited her on her bed. He glanced out of the window, and saw Sasuke still in deep conversation with Hinata. He wondered what they could be talking about; it had been hours, surely that was long enough for Sasuke to outline his plan to Hinata. They didn't look like they were arguing, so maybe she was going along with it. Naruto gave a small shrug. Hinata was capable of looking out for herself; Sasuke wouldn't be able to make her do anything she didn't want to.

"Mina? Minato? I love you, schnookums. I'm going to be saving all my loving for you, poochie bear."

Naruto turned to find his mother sprawled on the bed, drooling into her phone. Naruto rescued it from her before she could damage it.

"Hi Dad," he said.

"I think you've got the wrong number," a stiff voice replied.

"Shit, sorry," Naruto hung up, and turned the phone off for good measure. "Stay here and sleep it off," he said to his mother, who was attempting to balance the tea cups provided on top of the kettle. Naruto removed them from her, and led her back to the bed. He hoped that she stayed put.

Naruto slipped back outside. The sun was resting on the horizon, its light turning the sea to molten gold. Naruto wished that Sasuke was there to see it. It was so peaceful; he could see why Hinata had chosen the place. He wished that he and Sasuke could just run off the way that Hinata and Juugo had, but even without Sasuke's sense of responsibility, Naruto knew that he would miss everyone if he just left.

Warm arms wrapped around his waist, and a hard body pressed against his back. Naruto smiled to himself as he felt lips brush his cheek.

"Did you sort things with Hinata?" He asked.

"I did. Hinata was very helpful." Sasuke caught Naruto's jaw in his hands, and turned his head, lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Naruto turned in Sasuke's arms, delighted by this public display of affection. There wasn't really anyone around, most people there didn't know them, anyway, and the ones that did knew they were a couple. Still, it was nice to just kiss Sasuke out in the open. He caught Sasuke around the waist, pulling him closer, sliding his tongue between his lover's lips.

Eventually they pulled apart, breathing heavily.

"Come with me," Sasuke said, taking Naruto's hand in his, "there's somewhere Hinata told me about that I want to show you."

Naruto let himself be led away from the guesthouse. There had been a certain peaceful look in Sasuke's eyes that Naruto had never seen before. Sasuke took them off the road, down a narrow trail that headed towards the sea. The trail was overgrown, but passable, long grasses brushing at their legs.

"There are a lot of beaches along this stretch of coast," Sasuke said, "but a most of them can only be reached by the sea; the cliffs here are huge. Hinata told me a way to get to one of them."

The path was too narrow for them to walk side by side, so Sasuke led, still holding Naruto's hand. They were soon flanked on either side by scrubby, stunted trees that blocked the dimming daylight, casting a multitude of shadows everywhere. It should have been creepy, but with Sasuke there, Naruto found it quite magical.

The trees thinned, and Naruto became aware of a heavy susurration, getting louder the further they went down the path. Their path forked, one leading straight, the other going off towards the right, sloping downwards. Sasuke led them down the right hand fork.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Naruto asked. It was beginning to get dark now, and the path had become narrower, and more overgrown. He tripped on a stone, and almost fell into Sasuke.

"Pretty sure," Sasuke replied. "Hinata's directions were quite specific."

Naruto bit his tongue against any further objections, knowing that Sasuke must have his reasons for this excursion now. Instead of worrying how they were going to get up the path in the dark, Naruto decided to enjoy the feeling of Sasuke's hand gripping his. That small pleasure was brought to an abrupt end when Sasuke released Naruto's hand.

"There are steps here," Sasuke said. "They're made of wood, and Hinata said some of them are rotten, so tread carefully and hold on to the rail."

Naruto glanced dubiously at said rail, which was also made of wood. While some of the steps may have been rotten, the rail certainly was. Naruto didn't want to have to rely on it staying fixed to anything if he happened to fall. He very cautiously followed Sasuke down the steps.

"At least we're guaranteed to have the place to ourselves," Naruto muttered, "no one else is crazy enough to attempt these stairs in the dark."

"It should be worth it," Sasuke replied.

The sun had set by the time they reached the bottom, but it wasn't dark. A large moon hung in the sky, surrounded by a multitude of stars that somehow seemed brighter. Their light was reflected in the sea as it softly pounded at the sand. Naruto stood beside Sasuke, staring in wonder; the beach wasn't large; a shelf of rock started just to the right of the stairs, and to the left, Naruto could just see where the cliffs curved around, enclosing the beach. High cliffs stood at their backs, and the sea was in front of them. Naruto wasn't too familiar with the sea, so he wasn't sure if the tide was coming in or out. The waves were quite small, though, their foamy caps glinting in the moonlight against the darker water.

"It's worth it," Naruto breathed, "It's beautiful."

They wandered, hand in hand again, towards the sea. A few larger rocks, and some smaller pebbles littered the sand. Naruto sat down on one of the rocks, and pulled his shoes and socks off. Giggling like a child, he dashed towards the water. The sea was cold against his toes, the wet sand shifting under his feet. He rolled up his trouser legs so he could go deeper, feeling the waves tickling against his calves.

A splash, and suddenly he could feel sea water coldly dripping down his back. Naruto let out a scream at how cold it was, and spun to find Sasuke grinning at him. Naruto quickly scooped water into his hands and flung it at his lover, but Sasuke ducked, letting it fly over his head. Prepared, Naruto kicked the water up, giving Sasuke a good dousing. He splashed himself a bit in the process, but it was well worth it for the shriek Sasuke emitted. Naruto turned, and ran down the beach, water splashing everywhere as Sasuke pursued him. He was laughing so hard he thought he would choke.

Sasuke eventually caught him by launching himself at Naruto and knocking him into the water. They grappled, both soaking wet and covered in damp sand. Naruto wasn't sure when their struggles turned to caresses, but suddenly they were kissing; Sasuke's lips tasted of salt, and Naruto was reminded of his dream. A particularly large wave almost covered them, and they decided to get out of the sea.

Naruto located their shoes and Sasuke's jacket. They were the only dry things they had. With a wry smile, Sasuke stripped off his wet clothing.

"It's not like anyone's going to see," he said, draping his trousers over the rock. Naruto was given a very nice view of his ass as he bent over, cheeks pale in the moonlight. He felt his cock stir. He removed his clothing as well, draping it to dry. Sasuke had carefully laid out his jacket so they could sit on it without getting sand in awkward places. It was just big enough for them to sit side by side. The feeling of Sasuke's slightly damp skin pressed against his had Naruto's cock half-hard. Sasuke's eyes drifted down to it, and a small smile spread on his lips.

"You know, it would be a really bad idea," Sasuke said, "what with all the sand."

Naruto pressed a kiss against his temple, trailing a line of kisses down Sasuke's cheek until his mouth rested just above Sasuke's. He felt Sasuke's breath hitch slightly. "It's supposed to be really romantic," he said, pressing his lips slowly against Sasuke's. He felt Sasuke's mouth open under his, their tongues slowly sliding against each other.

Sasuke pulled back, allowing Naruto's mouth to trail down his throat. Naruto smiled to himself as he tasted salt on Sasuke's skin.

"Which is the romantic part?" Sasuke asked, "the part where you chafe your dick raw, or the part where I'm shitting blood and sand for a week?"

Naruto bit down on his neck, sucking at the flesh in his mouth before releasing it to continue his kisses. "God, you are such a mood killer," Naruto griped.

Sasuke snickered, and his hand slipped down between Naruto's legs to fondle his cock. Naruto let out a soft moan as Sasuke gripped it, slowly sliding his hand up and down the shaft. "You still seem to be ready for action," he said, squeezing Naruto's length.

"Stand up," Naruto commanded.

Sasuke released his cock, and stood up. Naruto saw that Sasuke's own length was hard; his dark eyes shone in the moonlight, and his chest rose and fell with his harsh breathing. The only other sound was Naruto's own breath, and the soft crash of the sea meeting the sand.

Naruto placed a soft, teasing kiss to the tip of Sasuke's cock, loving the way it twitched under his lips. He blew lightly on it, before saying; "turn around."

Sasuke gave him a dark look, but did as he was told. Naruto took a moment to just look at Sasuke; the curve of his shoulder blades, the smooth skin of his back reflecting the moonlight in stark contrast to the black hair licking at the nape of his neck. Naruto could just see the reddening bruise to one side of Sasuke's throat. It stirred something primal in his chest every time he marked Sasuke like that. The moonlight didn't really show it, but there were other fading bruises on Sasuke's skin, bruises that Naruto had placed there with lips and teeth. It wasn't just him, though. Sasuke liked to bite and scratch sometimes, too.

"Bend over," Naruto said. "Brace your hands on the rock."

Sasuke was quick to pick up what Naruto meant. He did as he was directed, but he also spread his legs wide. Naruto licked his lips at the sight. Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto over his shoulder, and black eyes locked with blue.

"If you get sand in my ass, I will kill you," Sasuke said.

Naruto snickered, and dropped to his knees. He grasped Sasuke's ass cheeks, and parted them, exposing the darker flesh of his hole. He swiped at it with his tongue, hearing Sasuke let out a sharp gasp. Naruto settled in to his task, placing a few small kisses onto Sasuke's anus, before bringing his tongue into play again. He lapped with the flat, before working the tip at Sasuke's entrance. He could feel the initial resistance fading as Sasuke relaxed, allowing him to slip his tongue inside. Naruto fucked Sasuke with his tongue, thrusting it in and out, swirling it around inside, before teasing his entrance again with small licks. Sasuke's gasps and moans echoed off the cliffs surrounding them, each one sounding more wanton than the last.

When he was sure that Sasuke was relaxed enough, Naruto switched from his tongue to his fingers, sucking at his index finger before sliding it into Sasuke's ass. His thorough rim job first caused it to slip easily in to the last knuckle. Naruto turned his hand and curled his finger, easily finding the spot that he knew would make Sasuke go insane. He slipped a second finger in, loving the way Sasuke's back arched, and the long, low moan he let out.

Naruto placed a kiss against Sasuke's spine. "You didn't happen to bring any lube with you?" He asked.

"No; this was supposed to be a quiet, romantic evening, you horn ball," Sasuke gasped out. "I planned for sex in our room later – ahh, don't stop doing that."

"And I'm the horn ball," Naruto murmured to himself as he continued to rub against Sasuke's prostate. His own cock was painfully hard, aching to be buried deep inside Sasuke. The temptation was too great; he pulled his fingers out, watching as Sasuke's hole remained stretched and opened before the muscle began to contract back. Naruto groaned at the sight, and quickly spat on his hand, slicking up his cock with saliva and the pre-come that was forming at the tip. Not the best lubricant, but it would do. He placed the head of his cock against Sasuke's hole, one hand resting in the small of Sasuke's back, the other on his hip. With a groan, Naruto sheathed himself inside Sasuke. The groan was echoed by Sasuke, who pushed back against Naruto, trying to take him deeper. In one, smooth movement, Naruto was buried deep enough inside Sasuke's ass that their balls touched.

He began moving slowly, pulling almost all the way out before sinking in again. The way that Sasuke's ass gripped his cock, tugging him inside, and letting him out again very grudgingly, had him seeing stars. The tight heat contrasted with the cool breeze from the sea that was caressing him with increasingly chilly fingers. Naruto sped up his thrusts, both hands on Sasuke's hips now, his fingers digging into the flesh. Sasuke shifted one hand from the rock, reaching for his cock.

"No," Naruto said, "I want to make you come just from fucking you,"

Sasuke let out a sobbing curse, but he did as he was told, the hands resting on the rocks curled into white knuckled fists. Naruto began thrusting harder and faster, making sure that the angle was right so he hit Sasuke's prostate with each thrust. His balls ached with the load he was desperate to release, but he wouldn't, not before Sasuke. He teetered on the thin line between pleasure and pain as he gritted his teeth, and continued to thrust into Sasuke.

Finally, just when Naruto thought he might explode, Sasuke arched his back, and let out a long moan, his seed splattering against the rock. He went limp, and Naruto grabbed him around the waist, thrusting a few more times before his own orgasm had him seeing stars.

As the pleasure slowly dissipated, Naruto found that he and Sasuke were lying in a tangled heap of sweat, come and sand, both breathing heavily.

"Fuck," Sasuke groaned. "I can't feel my legs."

Naruto rolled off of him, certain that the absence of his weight would solve that problem. Sasuke was lying limply on his stomach. Naruto watched as a glistening line of come trailed from his ass down his thigh. Unable to resist, Naruto licked at it, sucking at his ass, loving the taste of him and Sasuke.

Sasuke let out a gasp. "Perv," he said.

Naruto let out a soft laugh, and kissed Sasuke's ass cheek. "We need to wash off the sand before it goes somewhere we don't want it." He said.

"Too late," Sasuke muttered. He got to his feet, stretching his legs out to get rid of any stiffness.

They had to go pretty far into the sea to get off all the sand; even then, Naruto wasn't convinced that he had got it all. He was sure that they would wake in the morning to find a pile of it in their bed.

"At least our clothes are dry now," Naruto said as he dressed. "Well, dry-ish." His jeans were still considerably moist.

Sasuke slipped on his trousers, and regarded his shirt sadly. "This was silk," he said, "It's probably ruined."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you tackled me in the sea," Naruto replied.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow; "It was your fault for being such a tempting target," he replied, slipping the shirt on. He grabbed his jacket, and paused, taking something from the pocket. "I didn't just bring you down here to play in the sea and have sex, you know," Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes honed into whatever Sasuke had taken out of his jacket pocket, but even with the moonlight, it was too dark to see what it was.

"Let's sit down a minute," Sasuke said, taking Naruto's hand and leading him to the rock. They sat side by side, fingers tangled together. Sasuke's other hand, and whatever it was holding, was in darkness.

"Now I know we're not talking about…that thing, and we won't, I was just thinking, of how I can make you believe that I really mean what I say when I say that I'm not going to do it." Sasuke stared out at the sea for a moment, before turning to Naruto with a soft smile. "I asked Karin to get something for me here, and I was going to leave it until after everything was sorted, but I realised that this is one way of me showing how serious I am."

Naruto looked at the small box that Sasuke produced with a sense of unreality. He let go of Sasuke's hand to take the box, and he opened it very slowly, as if he expected a poisonous spider to jump out of it. He stared into the box for a full minute, his mind blank.

"Sasuke, is that a wedding ring? Are you asking me to marry you, because there are a host of reasons why that won't-"

Sasuke silenced him with a kiss. "It's a symbol," he said. "Just think of it like that. I want to be with you forever, Naruto. That's what that ring means."

Naruto gently lifted the band out of its box. It was made of white and yellow gold, twisted together. "Is there an inscription? I can't read it in this light."

"It says: 'heart, body, soul, yours forever- Sasuke.' Mine is blank; I thought you may want…" Sasuke trailed off.

Naruto gripped the ring in his palm, his thoughts racing. "I should have come up with this," he said finally.

Sasuke blinked. "_That's_ your response? I bet you wouldn't have."

"You have a ring, too?"

Sasuke pulled out another box, containing another ring. It was slightly smaller, but otherwise exactly the same as the one Naruto held. Naruto took the second ring from Sasuke, and regarded them both for a moment. He could feel the tension coming off of Sasuke in waves, though his face gave nothing away. He was terrified of being rejected, Naruto realised. As if Naruto ever would.

"I want to be with you, always," Naruto said. "And I do appreciate the symbol, but we can't wear these, not while you're engaged to Sakura. Only when we're both free."

Sasuke bit his lip. "You take mine, and I take yours," he said. When…when I'm free, then we exchange them."

Naruto grinned; it was the perfect solution. He placed his ring gently in the box, and handed it to Sasuke. He slipped Sasuke's ring into his own pocket. Then he pulled Sasuke into a deep kiss. "I love you," he murmured against Sasuke's mouth.

It was late when they got back to the guest house, very late. Naruto hoped that his drunken mother hadn't caused any problems while they were gone. It was too late to shower off the sea water, so they dropped into bed together, and made love as Sasuke had planned. In the morning, Naruto slipped out, and went to the jewellers.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Huge apologies for the lateness of this chapter; my holiday, combined with work getting really busy once I returned put me back, and then I got sick, and spent a week either working or sleeping :( Not writing makes me feel like crap, so I'm glad I've finally managed to get back into it. Plus side, all the time I spent in bed I was tweaking the rest of this story in my mind, so it should be easier to write. In theory ^^**

**Thanks to everyone who had read, big thanks to those who took the time to review, and I'm so sorry I kept you all waiting! **

**I'm going to try and chip away at chapter 14 through the week, hopefuly it won't be too long before I post it.**

**So here's the very belated chapter thirteen, unlucky for some. Please let me know what you think ^^**

Chapter Thirteen

_16__th__ August – 1 Month to the wedding_

Sasuke was very aware of the cold weight hanging against his chest as he took his seat in the registry office. Naruto had been gone when he had woken up that morning, returning with coffee and a small jewellery box just as Sasuke had finished showering. Grinning, Naruto had handed him a silver chain, a mug of hot strong coffee and given him a long, languid kiss before diving into his bag to find something to wear.

Naruto shifted next to him; he craned his neck around and Sasuke caught a flash of silver around his neck. He smiled to himself, knowing that his ring was resting against Naruto's skin in the same way that Naruto's was resting against his. He was pleased at how Naruto had taken to the idea; his lover had been becoming increasingly snide as the wedding day drew closer.

"Ooh, here she comes," Naruto hissed, tugging at Sasuke's sleeve.

Sasuke turned to see Hinata entering the room. After some discussion earlier that morning, it had been decided that Neji should walk her down the aisle. Hinata's dress was simple, but classy, with a floral print rather than the traditional white. Apparently, she had found it in a charity shop. Sasuke was actually quite impressed; from his own experience with Sakura, he saw weddings as big, expensive things with all sorts of random paraphernalia that were somehow deeply important. Hinata had managed to make hers simple, yet elegant, with very little time or effort.

Sasuke slid his hand into Naruto's as the registrar began the ceremony. The whole thing was over fairly quickly; Sasuke wondered if he would be able to talk Sakura into a wedding like this before he remembered with a wave of relief that his wedding wouldn't be happening. He squeezed Naruto's hand.

"You know," Naruto murmured in his ear, "the Civil Partnership ceremony is very similar to this."

Sasuke felt his face heat up at the thought; it was appealing, very appealing. "Maybe I should get myself out of one wedding before I start planning another one," he said.

Naruto smiled, flashing the brightness that Sasuke craved, then cupping his face in his hands, he drew Sasuke in for a long, deep kiss. Sasuke felt himself melting into the kiss, his tongue languidly twining around Naruto's. It was only when Naruto pulled away, his hands trailing a caressing line down Sasuke's neck, that Sasuke remembered where they were. He was suddenly very aware of all the eyes on him.

"It's rude to upstage the bride on her wedding day," Neji said.

Sasuke buried his head in his hands with a groan; Naruto just laughed.

"I thought it was really hot," Karin whispered to Kushina, though somehow she managed to whisper loud enough for her voice to echo around the room. "Which one do you think tops?"

"Oh, definitely my baby boy," Kushina replied. The woman had absolutely no shame.

Sasuke glared at Naruto, who seemed to be about to choke on his laughter.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Kurenai had managed to get quite a substantial buffet together; a gazebo had been erected in the garden of the guest house, and all the locals had appeared to congratulate the newlyweds, though Sasuke expected that it had more to do with the free food than anything else. A few people had brought musical instruments along and a band had been formed. Naruto had been disappointed to see that there were no bag pipes. He was currently dancing with Hinata, his blond hair flashing golden in the sunlight. Sasuke smiled to himself as his eyes tracked his lover.

"So you've made your decision, then?"

Sasuke jumped, spilling his drink as Itachi suddenly spoke in his ear. He turned to glare at his brother, shaking diet coke off of his shirt sleeve.

"Yes, I've made my decision," Sasuke snapped, "Naruto was always who I was going to choose." He took a sip of his drink, and almost gagged. Not diet; obviously he had picked up Naruto's. He swapped it with the one sat at his elbow.

Itachi smirked at him. "Mother will be pleased," he said.

"Don't say anything," Sasuke cautioned his brother, "I still haven't figured out how I'm going to get out of the wedding to Sakura yet."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Easy. Tell father that you're gay, and want to be with Naruto."

"Yes, and draw his wrath down on us all. If it were that easy, I would have done it by now. Anyway, I don't see you being all open about your relationship with Neji."

Itachi sighed. "Mother knows," he said, "Father too, I think. I guess I'm not important enough for any wrath, or possibly, he just doesn't care who I love, as long as I'm happy. Maybe it will be the same for you."

Sasuke shook his head. Itachi didn't have the burden of family responsibility that Sasuke did. Privately, Sasuke thought that even if Itachi was well and still the official heir, he still would do his own thing. Sasuke almost envied him that. At least Hinata had agreed to help him, more for Naruto's sake than his own, he thought. She actually knew quite a lot of the Hyuuga family secrets, and was willing to sell them to Uchiha in exchange for protection. Well, that would be the spin they put on it, anyway. Both Sasuke and Hinata knew that she would be looked after, even if she didn't do anything to aid the Uchiha. Sasuke hoped that this would go a way to appeasing their father. The influential Hyuuga connection was surely better than the Haruno one that Sasuke was about to lose them.

Hinata had also offered to be a surrogate if heirs were the issue, though she hadn't spoken to Juugo about it yet. While Sasuke was in no way ready to start raising little Uchiha's, the promise of ones of impeccable pedigree at some point in the future would be another sweetener for his father. He hadn't raised the subject with Naruto yet; the way he had been recently, the blond was bound to find something objectionable about the plan.

Still, Sasuke wished that he had an actual legitimate reason to present to his father, instead of a few pacifying gestures. He did not relish the thought of going to his father with the information from Hinata, and maybe just slipping in at the end the bit about not marrying Sakura. He would if he had to, but he really wanted another way. A way where no one would get hurt.

Sasuke shook his head, as if he could shake the thoughts out of it. Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about those things. He turned to his brother with a grin.

"It's alright," he said, "I'll think of something." His eyes turned back to the dancing, but Naruto had vanished. Hinata was now dancing with Kisame, who was surprisingly elegant for such a big man. Sasuke frowned, but he couldn't see Naruto anywhere in the garden. He put his drink down, and with a brief apology to his brother, went to see if he could find his lover.

Instead of Naruto, he found Kushina sat in the dining room of the guest house, glaring at a laptop.

"Hey, have you seen Naruto about?" Sasuke asked.

Kushina looked up from the laptop with a small smile. "I haven't, but maybe you could help me."

"Ok," Sasuke said, puzzled. The truth was, Naruto's mother scared him a little bit. He stepped around the table she was sitting at so he could see the laptop screen. "What do you need help with?"

"I'm trying to hack into Sakura's email account, do you have any idea what the password would be?"

"What!"

"You really think it could be that?"

"No, I mean…what? Why would you want to hack into Sakura's email account?"

Kushina shot him a sly smile. "Because that way I can find proof that she's cheating on you, and get the wedding cancelled," She said.

Sasuke stared at her in complete shock for a moment. _What a perfect way to get out of it,_ a small voice said in the back of his head. He ignored it; it was impossible. Sakura was in love with him, that was a big part of his problem. There was no way that she would cheat on him.

"What are you two doing in here?" Naruto asked, stepping into the room. He glanced down at the laptop, a puzzled frown on his face.

"Well," Sasuke said, "your crazy mother, who I believe you got all your genes from, wants to prove that Sakura is cheating on me by hacking into her emails."

Naruto let out a snort of laughter. "If only," he said. "Wouldn't that make things easier? Except Sakura is totally obsessed with Sasuke."

Kushina rolled her eyes. "With him, or with his money? The Haruno clan are flat broke. Besides, I've been watching her."

"You've been stalking my boyfriend's fiancée? That's just weird, mum. Besides, if she only wanted Sasuke for his money, why did she try to have sex with him?"

Kushina shot Sasuke a long look, then she let out a snort of laughter. "Sorry," she said, "it's just the mental image…" She collapsed in a fit of giggles. Next to her, Naruto began snickering. Sasuke glared at both of them, feeling his face heat.

"What?" Naruto said, "It was pretty funny."

"Yeah, I can totally see him freaking out over her girl parts," Kushina managed to get out between giggles.

"Oh he did, he really did," Naruto said.

Sasuke continued to glare at the pair of deviants as they continued to laugh at his expense. The whole experience had been far too traumatic for him to ever find it funny.

"Ok, yes, it was very amusing," Sasuke said, "can we please get back to your crazy mother stalking Sakura." He poked Naruto in the ribs, hard.

Naruto let out a squawk of complaint, but his laughter did stop. "Yeah, seriously, mum, you can't do that."

"Look, I don't know about the whole sex thing…except that it's bloody funny, but Sakura has been going out to meet up with this man."

"It's probably about the wedding," Sasuke said. "What does he look like?"

"Medium height, slender, red hair, weird eye make-up-"

"That's Gaara," Sasuke said, quite pleased that he remembered the guy's name. "He's Sakura's friend, and he's been helping with the wedding."

"You see," Naruto added, "unfortunately, Sakura is innocent. As much as I would like to use her as a scapegoat, we can't without any proof."

"Which is why I'm trying to get into her emails," Kushina replied. "To get proof."

Sasuke frowned to himself. Now that he thought about it, that Gaara guy had seemed to hate him. That would be natural if he was Sakura's lover. Except he really couldn't see Sakura doing something as low as marrying him for money.

"No, it makes no sense," Sasuke said. "Even supposing that Sakura was marrying me for money, and wanted to get a divorce later so she could be with this Gaara, I've not signed any post-nuptial agreement. If the marriage broke down due to her cheating, she wouldn't get a penny. We have some of the best lawyers in the world, and my father wouldn't stand for that sort of shame."

"Come on, mum," Naruto said, shutting the laptop and grabbing his mother by the arm, "let's just go and enjoy the party."

"Fine," Kushina said, "but when the 'I told you so' moment comes, I'm going to milk it." She allowed Naruto to lead her out of the house, and into the middle of the dancing.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Once the sun went down, and the air became colder, the party moved into the pub, where there was more dancing and drinking to be had. The tables were pushed to one side to make a dance-floor, and Sasuke, now that he had a bit of alcohol in him, allowed Naruto to drag him up to dance. It was strange being so out, because only a couple would dance the way they danced, but somehow liberating. The way that the kiss in the registry office earlier had felt so right, despite the awkward moment later, or Kurenai calmly leading them to a double room. Sasuke found that he liked it, so much so that he knew going back and keeping everything secret was going to be stifling.

"You know," he said in Naruto's ear, flicking the lobe with his tongue, and feeling Naruto shudder in his arms, "we don't have to go back home straight away."

Naruto looked him in the eyes, his blue gaze guarded. "What do you mean? This isn't another stalling tactic, is it?"

"No." Sasuke hadn't even been thinking about the wedding; he was just enjoying being with Naruto. "I just like it here, with you. Besides, Juugo and Hinata should have a proper honeymoon, and Itachi seems to thrive up here."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure Hinata will love having all of us hanging around her on her honeymoon," he said.

"We'll stay out of her way," Sasuke replied. Naruto's neck looked very tempting; he bent his head, and pressed a line of kisses along his throat. "Quiet as mice, she won't even know we're there," he continued. "Not for long, a week, maybe."

"Hmm, a week, which gives you three weeks to cancel your wedding."

"That's plenty of time," Sasuke replied. He wasn't sure what he had been drinking, but whatever it was had given him a pleasant buzz. He felt all floaty. And now, with the taste of Naruto on his tongue, he felt a bit horny, too. He bit at Naruto's collar bone, sucking at the skin. He felt Naruto's hands in his hair, a caressing touch that turned insistent, raising his head. Sasuke stared into Naruto's eyes, the floaty feeling intensifying.

"I love you," he murmured, placing a soft kiss against Naruto's lips.

They exchanged kisses for a while; gentle pecks against the lips that promised more to come. Sasuke was aware of them moving, then a jolt as his back hit a wall. They were surrounded by noise; feet thumping against the floor, music, people singing, conversations held at a shout to be heard over the din, yet it all seemed muted to Sasuke; all he was really aware of was the sound of his breathing, and Naruto's.

"Oh my god, get a room!"

The sound of Kushina's voice had Naruto backing away, much to Sasuke's chagrin. Naruto glanced over his shoulder and let out a scandalised giggle. Sasuke followed his gaze, and realised that Kushina's comments had not been aimed at them. Karin was sat on Kisame's lap, his hand vanishing up her top, while she kissed the life out of Suigetsu.

"Some people have no shame," Naruto muttered, a wry grin on his face. He wrapped his fingers around Sasuke's wrist. "Come on; let's go before the whole party descends into an orgy." He pulled Sasuke out of the pub, and into the cool night air. Sasuke twisted out of Naruto's grip, and linked their fingers together instead as they made the short walk back to the guest house. The sky was cloudless, the moon illuminating everything with a silvery glow. Since everyone else was still at the party, the guest house was dark. Naruto lead them to the stairs, pausing there to pull Sasuke into a kiss.

Somehow, they managed to make it to their room without turning on any lights. The curtains were still open, letting in the moonlight which was almost as bright as the sun after their fumbling way up the stairs. Sasuke paused in the door way, captivated by the sight of Naruto limned in moonlight, his golden hair looking more silvery. He turned, and shot Sasuke a grin that weakened his knees.

Sasuke stripped his shirt off, and approached Naruto, feral and hungry. He pushed Naruto down so he was sitting on the edge of the bed then straddled his thighs. He quickly stripped Naruto's shirt off of him, kissing the exposed skin of his chest. Naruto's hands cupped his hips, pulling him closer; Sasuke moaned as his cock pressed against the growing bulge in Naruto's trousers.

He pushed Naruto back so he was lying on the bed, kissing him deeply; one hand tangled in his hair, the other sliding down Naruto's trousers in search of hot flesh. Naruto let out a gasp as Sasuke wrapped his hand around his cock, and Sasuke smirked to himself.

"I'm going to have to remember that whiskey makes you super horny," Naruto gasped as Sasuke squeezed his cock.

"It's not the whiskey," Sasuke said, though he supposed that it was helping, "it's you." He bent his head, and took a nipple in his mouth, sucking and biting at it as Naruto moaned under him. He could feel the cock in his hand twitch and leak, and it made him hungrier than ever. He sat back on his heels long enough to complete the job of stripping Naruto; the sight of his lover, naked and needy, made Sasuke's breath catch and his cock ache. In the moonlight, Naruto looked like an angel that Sasuke had taken and corrupted, dragging him down into the darkness, but still unable to quench his light.

Slowly, Sasuke lowered his head and took Naruto's cock into his mouth, moaning at the salty taste of pre-come. He lapped at the head greedily, sliding the tip of his tongue against the small opening, desperate for more. Naruto groaned, arching his hips. Sasuke stubbornly continued to lick at the head, taking it into his mouth and sucking gently, probing the slit with his tongue, completely ignoring the shaft.

He felt Naruto's hands on his hips, and allowed himself to be tugged around. His trousers were removed, the cool air against his skin causing a small shiver. Naruto turned onto his side, briefly dislodging Sasuke from his cock. Sasuke grasped Naruto's length, guiding it into his mouth. He let out a soft moan as he felt warm heat engulf his own member. Sasuke sucked at the head of Naruto's cock, and groaned as Naruto copied his action. This was potentially going to be interesting. In the spirit of experimenting, Sasuke took Naruto's full length into his mouth, relaxing his throat to allow it to slide all the way down, until his nose was pressed against the musky flesh of Naruto's balls. Heat engulfed his own cock, and he let out a very muffled cry of delight.

Sasuke sucked at the flesh in his mouth, keeping the suction up as he pulled his lips up the shaft, and back down. The taste, Naruto's muffled moans, and the feeling of the same action being performed on his own cock all combined to make him half mad with pleasure. He cupped Naruto's balls in the palm of one hand, then spurred on by a sudden impulse reached lower, trailing a feather light finger across Naruto's perineum, and resting it against his hole. The action was not mimicked; instead, Naruto froze with a soft catch of breath.

Sasuke removed his mouth from Naruto's cock so he could speak, feeling Naruto do the same. He placed a soft kiss against Naruto's thigh before asking; "can I?" he turned his head so he could see his lover's face, his finger teasingly circling Naruto's tight hole.

The look in Naruto's eyes had him close to coming; needy and vulnerable tinged with lust. "Just fingers for now, Sasuke," Naruto said.

Sasuke swallowed a sudden pang of disappointment; there was something about the look in Naruto's eyes that had him wondering something. "Has anyone ever touched you here before?" He breathed. It wasn't something that came up between them; Sasuke hated the thought of Naruto being with anyone else.

"Only me," Naruto replied.

"So you've never-"

"That's right; I've never had a cock up my ass. I'm saving that for the right moment."

Sasuke smiled, the thought of claiming Naruto's virgin ass for himself sending a fierce wave of pleasure through his groin. "Now's a good time," he purred.

Naruto smiled back at him. "I'm not about to give my virginity to an engaged man," he replied sweetly. "Believe me Sasuke, I'll let you know when the time is right, and it will be with you. For now, just be happy to play a bit, ok?"

Sasuke sighed, and nipped at Naruto's thigh, before turning him onto his back. His legs fell open, leaving him completely exposed to Sasuke. A smirk twitched Sasuke's lips as a sudden thought occurred.

"If you're the only one who's played with your ass," he said, "then I bet no one has done this before."

He lapped at Naruto's hole with the flat of his tongue, eliciting a startled gasp from the blond. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's cheeks, spreading them wide to give him better access. He had rimmed a couple of guys before, a long time ago. It wasn't a practice that Sasuke was happy to do with casual fucks, but Naruto was different. His inhibitions left in tattered shreds by the alcohol, Sasuke eagerly probed at Naruto's ass with his tongue. It was far too tight for him to slip his tongue in, but he still teased at it with the tip, loving the sounds he was getting from Naruto, the gasps, the moans, a few hastily muffled shrieks. A hand tangled in his hair tightly tugging at it, urging him on.

"Oh god, Sasuke," Naruto groaned as Sasuke finally managed to work the tip of his tongue into Naruto's ass. The hand in his hair tightened.

Sasuke twisted his tongue inside a few more times, before raising his head. He looked down at Naruto, flushed and panting, naked apart from the chain around his neck, and his heart leaped. Thoughts flashed through his head; _beautiful, fuckable, do I ever look like that? Must make Naruto fuck me in front of a mirror. I want him so badly._

"Kiss me, Sasuke," Naruto said, "I want to taste me on you."

Sasuke groaned and did as he was commanded; he could taste himself in Naruto's mouth too, and it made his dick ache. He briefly wondered if he was being distracted; if he was, Naruto was doing a good job of it, when something was placed in his hand.

Sasuke broke the kiss to look; it was a tube of lube. He shot Naruto a feral grin, before moving back down between his legs.

"You know," he said, "once this wedding is totally cancelled, I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for a week."

Naruto shuddered, and grinned back at him. "I'm looking forward to it," he breathed.

Sasuke liberally coated one finger with lube, before resting it against Naruto's hole. He pressed gently against the resistant flesh, wondering how much pressure he dared to use; he was well used to fingering his own ass, and actually liked it a bit rough, but Naruto was different. He applied a bit more pressure, gasping as the hot flesh closed tightly around the tip of his finger. He watched Naruto, fascinated, as he groaned and arched his back at this slight stimulus. Sasuke managed to work his finger in to the knuckle. It was so very tight; Sasuke imagined sinking his cock into that tight heat, and was almost tempted to call his father and tell him the wedding was off, and fuck all the repercussions. Instead, Sasuke placed butterfly kisses against Naruto's thigh while he worked his finger deeper in, finally sinking to the last knuckle.

He began moving it in slow shallow thrusts, watching as it slid in and out of Naruto's body. Something about the sight was so hot that it made his balls ache. He lubed up another finger, and lined it up with Naruto's hole. This one seemed to slip in easier; the extra lube made the way slicker, too, so Sasuke sped up his thrusts, fucking Naruto with his fingers, and wishing that it was his cock. Naruto was gasping and moaning in a way that went straight to Sasuke's cock, occasional words could be made out, mainly; "more," "harder," and "Sasuke!"

Sasuke twisted his fingers, searching for Naruto's prostate. Naruto's scream indicated that he had found it. He massaged the gland, possibly a bit rougher than he should have been, but Naruto's reaction was too good; he twisted and writhed on the bed, moaning with pleasure. Sensing that Naruto was close, Sasuke bent and took his lover's cock into his mouth, sucking harshly. Naruto arched his back and came with a long cry. Sasuke eagerly swallowed his come, still sucking at his cock, his fingers working at his prostate. Sasuke knew that the pleasure would peak, close to pain, as the orgasm continued. He ignored Naruto tugging at his hair, trying to pull away from him; he was still hard and needy, and someone was definitely getting fucked tonight. Since Naruto had outright said that it wouldn't be him, then he needed to get hard again so he could fuck Sasuke.

It took a few minutes, but Sasuke managed to coax a slightly reluctant Naruto back to hardness. He tugged his fingers out of Naruto's hole, and slammed them into his own. There was something deliciously sinful about using the fingers that had just been inside his lover to prepare himself. Naruto watched him with lidded eyes, still breathing heavily.

Sasuke awkwardly leaned over to kiss him, using his free hand to prop himself up. "I want to watch you fuck me," he breathed. "There's a mirror on the back of the door." He somehow managed to untangle himself, and drag Naruto off of the bed. He dropped to his hands and knees in front of the full length mirror attached to the back of the bedroom door. Sasuke stared at himself, noticing the flushed cheeks, wide dark eyes and tousled hair. He glanced up to see Naruto standing behind him, cock jutting proudly out, nice and hard. Sasuke let out a groan.

Naruto reached out, and placed his palm against Sasuke's back. "So vain," he murmured, "wanting to watch me fuck you."

Sasuke gasped as he felt the blunt head of Naruto's cock rest against his ass. "We should film ourselves," he said, "that would be hot; you should have seen some of the faces you were making." He grinned up at Naruto's reflection. The blue eyes were shadowed, but he caught the flash of white teeth.

Naruto pressed his cock against Sasuke's hole, and slowly sunk in to the hilt. Sasuke gasped, and watched fascinated as his eyes widened at the intrusion, his lips slightly parted. His breath was coming in harsh pants, the steam slightly obscuring the mirror.

Naruto let out a snicker. "That's one way to stop the wedding; we could play it as Sakura walks down the aisle," he said.

For some reason, Sasuke found that image incredibly funny. He dropped his head onto the floor, overcome by a sudden fit of giggles. Naruto stopped his laughter by pulling almost all the way out, before quickly slamming his cock back in to the hilt. Sasuke gasped, feeling like all the breath had been driven out of him. He lifted his head, and caught Naruto's eyes in the mirror.

"Oh god, Naruto, just like that; hard, I want it hard."

Naruto snorted; "want, want, want. You're a selfish bastard." He gave a few slow, shallow thrusts that had Sasuke grinding his teeth in frustration, before giving him what he wanted. Sasuke only knew to brace himself by the sudden glint in the blue eyes.

Naruto fucked him hard enough that he saw stars; Sasuke tried to watch in the mirror, but the pleasure was too intense; their flesh thwacked together harshly, Naruto letting out a grunt with each thrust. Sasuke knew he was probably screaming in pleasure; hopefully everyone was still out at the party.

Sasuke came fairly quickly; Naruto lasted quite a bit longer. Sasuke was a mewling puddle of goo by the time Naruto emptied himself into his ass with a moan. They collapsed together on the carpet, limbs tangling together, lips meeting in soft kisses.

"I'm going to have to remember that whiskey turns you into a sex mad animal," Naruto murmured, brushing a lock of hair out of Sasuke's eyes.

"Yeah, well I'm definitely going to remember that you're a closet cock whore," Sasuke countered.

"As opposed to the out in the open one you are," Naruto replied, placing a kiss on the tip of Sasuke's nose. "We should probably go to the bed. I'm sleepy."

"Mmm," Sasuke replied, resting his head on Naruto's shoulder. "In a minute."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke woke in the morning feeling like hell; his head was pounding, his knees were sore, and his back ached. Added to this, the normally pleasant just been fucked ache in his ass wasn't so much. He groaned; his mouth felt like he had been drinking swamp water.

"Morning, you look like shit," Naruto said chirpily from somewhere above him.

Sasuke attempted to glare in the general direction of his voice. "Yeah, thanks. I love you too." He said. "What was I drinking last night?"

"Whiskey, mainly. The local stuff is quite strong."

Sasuke struggled into a sitting position, cradling his head. "Apparently so," he muttered. Bits of the evening were coming back to him; the pain in his knees was probably carpet burns; he glanced at his legs, and winced at the lack of skin. Yup, carpet burns. He was still on the floor; naked apart from the ring hanging on a chain around his neck. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and groaned again. Naruto was right, he did look like shit.

"Why are you fine?" He snarled at his lover.

"Well, I didn't drink as much as you, plus I've got pretty good alcohol tolerance. Also, the amazing sex helped quite a bit." Naruto sat down on the floor beside Sasuke. He was fully dressed, and was positively glowing.

"Don't kiss me," Sasuke said. "I have morning breath from hell."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "I'll bet," he said. He gave Sasuke a quick peck on the cheek. "Go wash, I don't want to be late for breakfast."

Sasuke felt a little bit more alive after he had showered, cleaned his teeth, and downed a couple of paracetamol. Naruto was practically bouncing on the spot as Sasuke exited the bathroom.

"You know, you could go down without me," he said. As it was, his stomach wasn't sure if he was really up for breakfast.

"I wanted to wait for you," Naruto replied. He took Sasuke's hand as they left the room. "Do you remember what you said last night?"

Sasuke flushed. He had said a lot of things last night. He was definitely giving whiskey a miss from now on. "What part?" He asked cautiously.

Naruto snickered. "So you remember everything. I am glad. I did actually mean about staying on here. Do you still want to?"

"I do. I know the timing may not be the best, but I can't see us having much time for ourselves after I speak to my father."

"Have you decided what to say?"

Sasuke felt Naruto's blue eyes sharpen as they fixed on him. "Not yet," he admitted. "But I will end it, one way or another."

He was still toying with options in his head; the best he had been able to come up with was to present his father with Hinata's secrets, announce that he couldn't marry Sakura, and keep Naruto's name out of it. Once everything had blown over they could get together. He didn't think that Naruto would like that, and he didn't much relish the thought of having to pretend that there was nothing between them, but at least it kept Naruto and his family safe. There was still the matter of Sakura, though. He couldn't see any way out of it that didn't leave her devastated. He almost wished that Kushina was right, and Sakura was having an affair with Gaara.

Sasuke gave Naruto's hand a squeeze. "Just a few days of you and me. It'll be nice."

Naruto's expression cleared, and he shot him a sunny grin. "Ok, as long as Kurenai's happy to have us for a few more days."

Everyone else had already made it down to breakfast; Sasuke was reminded of the communal breakfasts held by his mother, although Kurenai did all the cooking and Mikoto had her chiefs. Karin seemed unusually bubbly and chirpy; in counterpoint, Suigetsu and Kisame were avoiding eye contact with each other, and eating very sparingly. After what Sasuke had seen in the pub last night, he decided that he didn't want to know. Hinata and Juugo were feeding each other toast in an adorably saccharine just married way. Itachi looked tired, but content as he picked at his food, Neji attentive at his side. Kushina and Kurenai were locked in an animated conversation, but Kurenai looked up at them with a smile as they sat in the two empty seats.

"There should be plenty left," she said, "but please let me know if you want any more and I'll cook it up for you."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It turned out that no one else was in any particular hurry to get back. Kushina had some sort of gala on the following Tuesday, but as Hinata was technically disowned, Neji and Itachi well practiced at avoiding being needed for anything, and Karin and the others all security detail for either Sasuke or in Kisame's case, Itachi, it wasn't like anyone was needed. In fact, since Naruto's project was technically finished as they were still in the planning stages for the TV ad, the only one who had any real pressing urgency to return was Sasuke.

It was easy enough to just pick up emails and make a few phone calls, though, and Sasuke found that he still managed to have a lot of free time to spend with Naruto. He called Sakura to let her know that they had found Hinata, and that they would be delayed for a bit. She had seemed fine with it. His father had been a bit more troublesome. Sasuke had hoped to come back before he was missed, so he had to explain why he was in Scotland. In the end, he found himself roped into scouting out businesses that seemed ripe for Uchiha takeover. He paid lip service to the task, getting enough details to keep his father happy without it impinging too far on his Naruto time.

Sasuke and Naruto spent their time exploring; Sasuke loved the countryside, and the fresh air; between them they discovered five more hidden beaches, and christened them all. On one of their excursions into one of the nearby towns for Sasuke's work, they found a gay bar tucked out of the way down one side street. They returned that night, everyone bar Itachi, Neji and Kurenai tagging along for good measure.

The last night, Sasuke and Naruto went back down to the beach where they had exchanged rings, armed with towels and a change of clothing this time. They stripped naked to play in the sea, and made love under the waning moon. Sasuke lay in Naruto's arms, satiated, staring up at the sky; they had been very lucky, rain only marring one day. That night was as clear as the first night, though not as bright.

"I don't want to go back," he confessed softly, his fingers twining in the chain around Naruto's neck. "It's been so wonderful, these last few days, just being together. I don't want it to end. We've barely even argued."

"We argued this afternoon," Naruto murmured, "over whether those things we had in that restaurant were onion rings or calamari."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "They were obviously calamari," he said, "and you know that's not what I meant."

"Yeah, I know." Naruto's arms tightened around him. Sasuke buried his head in his lover's warm chest. "We can come back here, though. When everything is sorted."

"It will be cold by then," Sasuke murmured.

"So we maybe forgo sex on the beach," Naruto replied. "Just think, Kurenai will have had her baby by then, and her husband may even be back."

Kurenai's husband, Asuma, was in the army and currently serving a stint abroad. Kurenai was positive about it, but Sasuke didn't think he could manage if he were in her position. It was a horrible thought, sitting around, knowing that the person you loved the most was in danger, and unable to do anything about it. He shuddered.

"Are you cold?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "Just thinking. Don't ever join the army, Naruto. I don't think I could take it."

Naruto snorted. "My mother would kill me if I even thought about it; she's a pacifist," he replied.

Sasuke giggled at that, his dark mood broken. He raised his head, and pulled Naruto into a kiss. The kiss started out light and playful, but it deepened as Sasuke felt the need rise in him, a need echoed by Naruto. More than ever they matched each other so well, Naruto's light reflecting off of Sasuke, making him feel like he glowed.

Sasuke raised his hips, allowing Naruto's cock to slide into him; he was still stretched and damp from their last session, so there was only a slight ache as Naruto began to move very slowly inside him.

"I love you," Naruto murmured, staring down into Sasuke's eyes. As always, Sasuke felt lost and safe in that blue gaze.

"I love you, Naruto," he whispered, "so much."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke woke the next morning in a foul mood. The thought of having to go back and be tied down by responsibility again, to have to hide the love that he felt for Naruto, was stifling and it pissed him of. He had considered begging Naruto to stay for one more day, but Kurenai had a booking later that day, and she needed them out of the room.

Naruto rolled his eyes at him. "I hope you aren't going to be like this for the whole journey home," he said, haphazardly stuffing his clothing into his bag. Sasuke suppressed a small wince; he was scrunching up the clean stuff with the dirty, and wasn't bothering to fold anything. Sasuke's suitcase had been packed the night before, once they had returned from the beach. Naruto had watched him from the bed, making lewd comments in an attempt to distract him.

Sasuke shrugged, gazing out of the window. "If you don't like the idea of travelling with me, you could always go in the car with Kisame and Itachi. They're planning on starting with Cats."

Naruto shuddered theatrically. "No thank you," he said. "I had enough of the musical theatre nightmare on the way up."

Sasuke smirked. He had organised the cars the other day; Hinata and Juugo would return in her car, Suigetsu and Karin taking one of Sasuke's, while Kisame drove Itachi's with Itachi, Neji and Kushina. Sasuke would be taking turns driving with Naruto. Although he rather liked musical theatre, he didn't think he could survive another seven or so hours of it.

"Ok, I'm ready," Naruto said, hefting his bulging bag.

With a soft sigh, Sasuke took one last moment to gaze around the room that had been a refuge. He was going to miss it. He grabbed his own bags, and followed Naruto out of the room and down the stairs.

Hinata and Kurenai were in the middle of a tearful farewell, each promising to call and email the other. Sasuke hadn't realised how close they had become. Kurenai turned to them, and gave them each a long hug, making them both promise to come back. Sasuke suspected that she had wrung the same promise out of the others.

"I don't want to go," he murmured to Naruto as the climbed into the car.

Naruto leaned over and gave him a brief kiss. "We can always come back," he said.

They drove in convoy until they got to the motorway, where Karin quickly became a speck on the horizon. Sasuke wondered if he should have insisted on Suigetsu driving, but honestly he wasn't much better. In the passenger seat next to him, Naruto was studying a large road map. Karin had spilt coffee on his sat-nav a while ago, and he hadn't got around to replacing it, so Naruto had borrowed the map from Kurenai.

"You know, we could always go the long way around," Naruto said, "maybe follow a few A roads; it would be picturesque."

Sasuke raised a doubtful eyebrow. "How long is this long way?" He asked. "How do you know that we won't get turned around, or lost?"

"Trust me," Naruto said, "I'm an excellent navigator."

"Ok," Sasuke said. It wasn't like he was in any hurry to get back, anyway. So what if they got a bit lost, at least they would be together.

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Five hours later, Sasuke was beginning to get annoyed. They were running low on petrol, and while the scenery may well have been picturesque, it was hard to tell in the driving rain. And he wasn't convinced that they were out of Scotland yet. Naruto insisted that they were, but according to Naruto they should have re-discovered the M1 45 minutes ago.

"I think I've found us," Naruto said.

"Good, where are we?"

"Here!" Naruto exclaimed triumphantly, pointing to a tiny road on the map travelling through an expanse of nothing.

Sasuke sighed. "Look, we may as well just try and find a B&B, wait for this rain to pass, and try again in the morning," he said. Or, if Naruto was right, and they were in the middle of nowhere, just park the car up. It was coming up to four, and they hadn't stopped for lunch. Naruto had brought a bag of jelly babies, but they were long gone. Sasuke was almost regretting taking the scenic route, except being lost in the middle of nowhere in a rain storm was preferable to facing his father. A flash of lightening in the sky caused him to jump. He heard Naruto counting under his breath for the thunder, which rumbled ominously a few seconds later. The rain became heavier, and Sasuke knew that once it started to get dark visibility would be impossible. As it was, he was having a hard time seeing the road in front of him.

"There should be a right turn coming up," Naruto said.

Sasuke slowed down. The road they were on was lacking in signs, and other vehicles for that matter. He was surprised when he saw the turning; possibly it was coincidence, but that didn't stop him from taking it. Lightning flashed again, followed almost immediately by thunder.

"Remind me again why I didn't just let Karin drive," Sasuke muttered.

"Because you thought that just the two of us would be romantic."

Sasuke snorted. "Next time, remind me that cuddling in the back seat while someone else does all the work is more romantic."

"This rain is making me thirsty, and I kind of need to pee."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. The drumming of the rain on the car was echoing in his head, and he wished that he had some pain killers. Naruto began fiddling with the radio, mainly getting a load of static that made Sasuke's headache worse. He eyed the petrol gage, worried. They had enough for now, but if they didn't find civilisation within the next hour or so they were buggered, and not in a good way. At least this road was a bit wider, and there were a few other vehicles braving the elements.

Another flash of lightening lit up the first road sign Sasuke had seen in hours. "Hey, Naruto, is there a roundabout on your map?"

"No, why?"

"Because there's one up ahead."

Naruto began furiously turning pages, muttering under his breath. "Umm, ok, I think I've found it. We need to take the third exit."

Sasuke didn't trust the map at all at the moment, or Naruto's sketchy navigation skills. First thing he was doing when they got back was buying a new sat-nav. Thankfully another sign appeared before the roundabout, one that he got a chance to look at.

"Naruto, you were directing us onto the M1. The third exit on this roundabout goes onto the M6. The northbound M6. I think you have the wrong page."

"Well, just take the southbound exit," Naruto said with a small shrug. At least we're going in the right direction."

"Now we are," Sasuke said darkly, turning aggressively onto the roundabout. First service station they came to, Naruto was taking over driving.

The Motorway was actually harder to drive along than the back roads. There was more traffic, sending up spray to join the torrential rain making visibility almost non-existent, and the road surface felt slippery with the water. Plus, now Sasuke had to worry about what the other drivers around him were doing.

"We're on the motorway now," he said, "can you try and find a service station; I don't like driving in this."

"Oooh, we're coming up to Kendal. Is that where they make the mint cakes?"

Sasuke almost lost his temper. "Kendal? No wonder we couldn't find the M1, we're still too bloody far north. What have you been doing, sending us zigzagging cross country?"

"I just wanted to make it interesting," Naruto replied. "Sorry for thinking of you."

"Well, at least we know where we are," Sasuke said. He couldn't concentrate on the road and argue with Naruto at the same time. "Just find us somewhere where we can refuel, get something to eat, and get out of this rain."

The thunderstorm was still going strong, and every time lightening flashed, the car in front would break. As if Sasuke didn't have enough to worry about.

Naruto seemed to get that Sasuke was more pissed off with the weather than with him, or at least, equally pissed off. He flicked through a few more pages on the map.

A crashing sound, too deep and metallic to be thunder had Naruto's head snapping up, and Sasuke's foot slamming down on the break. The nervous driver ahead was even quicker to break, and Sasuke screamed out an expletive as he realised that he wasn't going to stop in time. Panicking, he swerved to avoid the car. The slick road surface had him skidding out of control. The car slammed into the central reservation with a crunch of metal. Sasuke's head connected with the side of the door, then everything spun around as the car continued to skid. They came to a halt with another sickening crunch.

For a long moment Sasuke stared straight ahead, not seeing anything. The rain, still crashing down, the pounding of his heart, his breathing, all echoed hollowly in his ears. Then more sounds, horrible sounds. He blocked them out, turning to Naruto.

His lover was slumped against the seat belt, eyes shut, not moving. Sasuke forgot to breathe, panic welling in his chest. He unclipped his seat belt, and leaned over. Something tugged at his leg, and there was a sharp pain, but he ignored it; Naruto was his only concern. Everything else could wait. Fumbling with shaking fingers, he tried to feel for a pulse. His stomach lurched as he saw a trickle of blood running down Naruto's cheek.

"No," he found himself whispering, "no, no, no, no, no." Naruto had to be fine, he _had_ to be. There were things he should be doing, Sasuke was sure of it, but his mind felt full of cotton wool. Only one thought stood out, clear and bright; Naruto, Naruto, Naruto.

"S'ke,"

The whisper was so soft he almost didn't hear it, but it tugged at his heart. Blue eyes opened, unfocused, confused, but so, so blue. Sasuke almost choked on the relief he felt bubbling in his chest.

"What…?" Naruto murmured.

"I don't know," Sasuke said. He glanced out of the windscreen to a scene of chaos. Some sort of tanker had tipped over; it was probably the cause of the crashing sound Sasuke had heard. It took up all three lanes; a few cars had crashed into it, one of them, despite the lashing rain, had managed to catch fire. Other cars were strewn haphazardly along the road, like a child had become bored of a game, and kicked their toys in pique. Some had connected, others had managed to stop in time. A few people were milling about, but the noises were the worst; Sasuke could hear screaming and crying.

His eyes morbidly trailed back to the stricken tanker. It was a way up the road from them, but the fire seemed bigger, somehow. Sasuke's brain caught up with his eyes with a spark of fear; some instinct prompted him to move, and throw himself over Naruto, tugging his leg free of whatever had caught it, just as the tanker exploded. The windscreen shattered, and Sasuke felt a wave of heat across his back. Shaking glass out of his hair, he looked down into Naruto's eyes.

"Are you alright?" He managed to ask.

Naruto's eyes were wide and panicked, and fixed on Sasuke's lap. "Sasuke, you're bleeding," he said shrilly.

Sasuke glanced down numbly. There was a lot of blood, streaming from a rip in his trousers. He watched as Naruto ripped his tee-shirt, pressing the ruined garment against Sasuke's leg. It hadn't hurt before, just burned a bit. Now, with Naruto pressing on it, it _hurt._

Sasuke looked up from the disturbing amount of blood coming from him, to look into Naruto's eyes.

"I feel sick," Naruto muttered. His eyes still looked unfocused. _Concussion_, the part of Sasuke's brain that was still working supplied. He hoped that was all it was. Blood still ran down Naruto's face.

"Don't die," Sasuke said, "whatever you do, don't die. I won't allow it."

A ghost of a smile quirked Naruto's lips. "I won't if you won't," he said.

Sasuke tried to smile, but everything was going fuzzy. He was aware of Naruto's eyes widening, fear sparking in them, and he hated to be the cause of that, but there was nothing he could do. Darkness enveloped him, dragging him down away from the light. He thought he heard his name being called from a long way away, then nothing.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: After leaving the last chapter on a bit of a cliff-hanger, I wanted to get this one done as quickly as possibly, but I've been really busy as well, so it was a bit of a challenge :D I would like to get the next chapter done by next weekend, but I have rehearsals Tuesday and Thursday nights, and two uber adorable new puppies in the house, so it's going to be a bit of a challenge, but one I'm more than willing to take up :D**

**Thank you so much to every one who has read, favourited, or reviewed. Especial thanks to the reviewers. Each one motivates me a little bit more; sometimes I come home and just want to sleep, but knowing that people are reading my story, and waiting for the next chapter pushes me to write a little bit more. I really don't think that I would have got this far with this story without you guys, so thank you very, very much :D**

**One last thing, with this chapter, the story will be over 100,000 words 0_0. lol, I always looked at the longer stories, and wondered how people managed to do it. Now I know :D**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter; please let me know what you think ^^**

Chapter Fourteen

_24__rd__ August – 2 Weeks and 6 days to the Wedding_

He was aware of noises; rustling, shuffling, beeping, clunking and clanging. None of it made any sense, and his head hurt. There were voices, too, and he didn't know if he was asleep or awake. He wished he was dreaming; at least then he would know that he was asleep. He wished that he could open his eyes, because then he would know that he was awake. Neither happened, instead the darkness of oblivion returned.

Later, noises returned; consciousness returned. He could feel his body, and it hurt. He opened his eyes carefully, wincing at the bright light. He was lying on his back, on a narrow, uncomfortable bed. That was strange. He glanced around the room, at the red and cream walls, the carefully chosen pictures that accentuated the colour scheme, and the Uchiha crest subtly emblazoned on everything. _Hospital_, his mind said. He struggled into a sitting position, dislodging his blankets, tugging at some of the tubes that seemed to be imbedded in his arm. It was weird and creepy; his mind felt like it was swathed in a sticky fog, and it made it really hard to think.

He tried to remember what had happened. They had been driving; there was rain, and then, and then…He snapped fully awake as the memory returned with punishing force; the fire, the blood, the screams.

"Naruto!" He gasped out. He was in a private room in the hospital owned by his family; how he had managed to end up there when the accident had happened hundreds of miles away he didn't know. But they must have brought Naruto, too. He needed to find him, to make sure that he was alright. Sasuke remembered the blood on his face, the look in his eyes, and panic hit him square in the chest. He tugged the blankets away from his legs, and pulled the tubes from his arm, wincing at the pain. He hurt all over, a dull ache that was concentrated in his thigh, head and back.

He struggled out of the bed, ignoring the pain. He had to find Naruto. He raised his hand to his neck, and was hit by a new panic as he realised that the ring was gone. It hurt, that even that small connection to Naruto had been tugged away. He took a step, and pain shot down his leg. He remembered the blood, then, and the fear in Naruto's eyes. Curious, he lifted his hospital gown. His whole right thigh was wrapped in a dressing. Sasuke was slightly relieved; judging by the pain, he didn't think he wanted to look at it. He took a few more steps. Nothing seemed broken; it hurt, but that could be ignored. He had to find Naruto.

He got as far as the door before he was accosted by a nurse, a woman with short dark hair, and a snap in her dark eyes that warned against causing any trouble.

"What are you doing?" She exclaimed. "You should be resting."

"I need to find my…friend. Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. He should have been brought in with me. Please, I need to know that he's ok."

Sasuke cringed inwardly. He could admit to himself that he probably shouldn't be wandering around the hospital. He had almost referred to Naruto as his lover to a perfect stranger, who happened to work for his father. His mind was still on a go slow, and he was pretty sure that he had been given some kind of medication at some point.

The nurse let out a sigh, and grabbed his arm, leading him towards the bed. He knew he should rest, but he couldn't, not when he didn't know what had happened to Naruto.

"Mr Uzumaki is fine," the nurse said, "slight concussion and bruising. I can't tell you any more than that. You need to rest. We're keeping you in overnight for observation, but you should be fine to go home tomorrow."

Sasuke snatched his arm away from her, wincing as he caught a bruise. "What do you mean you can't tell me more than that?" Sasuke demanded.

She sighed again. "Patient confidentiality, Mr Uchiha," she said. "I only told you as much as I did because you came in with him. Any other information is only to be given to direct family."

Sasuke ground his teeth at that. "I pay your wages," he said through gritted teeth.

She was unmoved. "Your father pays my wages," she replied, "and he would be the one who fired me for gross misconduct."

Sasuke scowled, sure that the woman was doing this on purpose. At least he knew that Naruto was somewhere in this hospital. Since the nurse obviously wasn't going to leave him alone until he followed her instructions, Sasuke changed his plan. He allowed himself to be lead back to the bed, and tucked in, the drip or whatever the fuck the tube thing was stuck back into his arm.

"Where are my things," he asked. "My phone... and I was wearing…" he trailed off, wondering if anyone had questioned the ring around his neck, or if they had noticed the matching one Naruto wore. Thinking about it, his skinned knees must have raised a few eyebrows when they were stitching him up.

Surprisingly the nurse smiled. "Everything is in here," she said, gesturing to a cabinet beside the bed. She handed Sasuke a key. "I don't need to remind you about mobile phone use on the ward, do I?" She asked sweetly.

Sasuke smiled and shook his head like a good boy. He waited while she checked his chart and made some notes, checked and prodded him a bit. He left it a full five minutes after she had gone before climbing out of the bed, and going to the cabinet. He unlocked it, a wave of relief settling his stomach as he picked up the ring. He fastened the chain around his neck, and locked the cabinet back up. He didn't need anything else.

He snuck carefully out of the room, although wearing a hospital gown and limping made him a little bit conspicuous. Thankfully, endless visits to this hospital with Itachi meant that he knew his way around. He quickly found a store room, and borrowed some scrubs; the robe he was wearing came down to his knees, and was disconcertingly breezy. He felt far more secure wearing trousers. Plus, he would blend in to the general bustle of the hospital. He just hoped that no one would notice his limp.

He grabbed a clipboard, and tried to look like he knew where he was going as he hobbled down the corridor. He surreptitiously peered into each room that he passed, figuring that Naruto would be on the same ward as he was. The nurse had said that he was fine; surely she had no reason to lie. Still, Sasuke wasn't going to rest until he knew for sure. He wrapped his hand around Naruto's ring, squeezing it tight.

He found the right room at the end of the corridor; Naruto was sat in bed, eating a small tub of hospital issue jelly, and being fussed over by his mother. Sasuke almost collapsed with relief as he saw that Naruto was awake and well. He pushed the door open, his eyes fixed hungrily on his lover. Naruto had a large bruise on the side of his head bisected by a deep gash that appeared to have been stitched up; Sasuke remembered the blood streaming down his face, and felt like vomiting. He could have lost Naruto; he could have lost the man who had become his everything, his light.

Naruto's head jerked up as he heard Sasuke enter the room, and his eyes widened. Sasuke saw his own feelings reflected in them; the fear, the relief, the love, and suddenly he was holding Naruto tight, with no real memory of how he had managed to cross the room. Naruto was gripping him just as tightly, making him realise that his back hurt, but he didn't care. Nothing was going to make him let go of Naruto. Nothing.

Sasuke placed a gentle kiss on Naruto's lips, noticing tears on his cheeks. He kissed them away, before placing his forehead against Naruto's, and staring deep into his eyes.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered.

"Yeah, me too. Good thing we're tough."

Sasuke tried to smile at Naruto's quip, but he couldn't. The fear was too fresh. "I was so scared," he confessed quietly. "I really don't think I could live without you, it would be like living with a huge hole in my chest."

Naruto's eyes turned haunted. "I know," he said. "It's the same for me." His arms tightened around Sasuke pulling him halfway onto the bed. Sasuke buried his head in Naruto's chest, and gave way to his tears. He felt broken, despite knowing that Naruto was safe, the what if's circled his mind.

Sasuke's tears eventually faded, leaving him feeling tired and slightly foolish, with a pounding head thrown in. His leg ached, his back throbbed, but he didn't really care. Naruto's hand was smoothing through his hair, and he could feel his heart beat against his cheek.

"Hey!" Kushina's hiss caused Sasuke to flush with sudden mortification. He had forgotten that she was there. "That nurse is coming, and she doesn't look happy."

Sasuke very reluctantly pulled away from Naruto to glance towards the door, and almost fell onto the floor. Kushina dashed over, and helped him into the chair that had been set up for her beside Naruto's bed. Naruto struggled out of his bedding, and was half way out of the bed when the dark haired nurse who had stymied Sasuke earlier came barrelling into the room. Kushina was right, she didn't look happy.

"What are you doing out of bed?" She demanded, glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke scowled back at her. "You wouldn't tell me where Naruto was, so I had to find out for myself," he replied.

"You're in hospital for a reason," she replied, "you can't just go wandering about by yourself, and you can't just help yourself to hospital property, regardless of who you are."

"I'm not leaving this room," Sasuke said flatly.

The nurse glared at him. Sasuke glared right back. If she wanted him to leave, she would have to carry him. And the moment she was gone, he would be right back where he belonged at Naruto's side.

"You could always just move another bed into here," Kushina said, "there's enough room."

The nurse held Sasuke's eyes for a few more moments. She capitulated with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Fine. Wait here while I get a porter."

In a matter of minutes, Sasuke found himself back in the hated hospital gown and tucked tightly into bed beside Naruto. Kushina, with an amazing amount of insight, made sure that their beds were close enough together for them to reach out to each other if they needed to. The cabinet with Sasuke's belongings in had been moved in, and now sat in the small gap between the beds.

"Ok, no more wandering around," the nurse said. "We'll probably be letting you out tomorrow, we just can't be too careful with head injuries. The doctor should be in to see you soon."

"Thanks, Shizune," Naruto said.

The nurse flashed him a brilliant smile, scowled at Sasuke, and took her leave.

"I should go, too," Kushina said. "It's not really visiting time, but Shizune let me stay."

She seemed somehow subdued, Sasuke realised. He watched as she tousled Naruto's hair, and placed a kiss on the un-bruised side of his forehead. Surprisingly, she also had a kiss for him, too. She had never been his biggest fan anyway, and Sasuke had thought that she would blame him for getting Naruto hurt.

"Not visiting time," Sasuke murmured once she had gone. "I guess that's why I woke up alone." It shouldn't have bothered him, but for some reason it did.

"Well, your mum wanted to be there, but she sort of fainted so Itachi took her home to rest." Naruto said.

"Fainted?" Sasuke exclaimed, alarmed. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, just exhausted mum said. And I would have been there, except Shizune wouldn't let me out of bed. I didn't think to cunningly disguise myself as a doctor and hobble around the hospital."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but inside, he was comforted by the normalcy of Naruto's ribbing. "What about Sakura?" He asked. It wasn't that he particularly wanted her there, in fact he was glad that she wasn't, it was just that sitting by his bedside was something she would do.

Naruto snickered. "Well, we sort of sent her to get your pyjamas," he said.

Sasuke shot him a puzzled look. "Naruto, I don't have pyjamas," he said.

"I know. I expect she had to go out and buy some. We just thought that the last thing you needed was her clinging on to you when you're hurt."

"We being?"

"Actually, Itachi suggested it. I was still a bit out of it at the time."

Sasuke regarded Naruto for a long moment. He wanted to crawl into the bed beside him, wrap himself around him, and stay there forever. However, the hospital beds were far too narrow, and apparently a doctor was coming in to see them at any moment.

"Do you know what happened?" Sasuke asked eventually. It was all a bit vague in his mind; the rain, the fire, Naruto bleeding.

"Not much from the accident," Naruto said, "it's all a bit fuzzy, and no one wants to talk about it. I remember crashing, and the explosion, and you protected me." He paused to shoot Sasuke one of his heart melting smiles, and Sasuke felt his heart thud in response. "And then you bled a lot," Naruto continued, "so much that I really thought you were going to bleed to death." His expression became shadowed with the memory.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said.

Naruto snorted. "It wasn't your fault. Anyway, ambulances and fire crews came, and everything was chaos. I might have blacked out for a bit, because then I remember someone trying to take you away from me, and I wouldn't let you go. It turned out to be a paramedic, but I was so confused I thought that they were going to separate us. I made them take us in the same ambulance. Once they punched your name into their computers, though, we were being air lifted over here. We went in a helicopter."

"I stayed unconscious through a helicopter ride?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Kind of. You would wake up, but you were delirious. I wasn't much better. I think I threw up."

The door to their room opened, curtailing any further conversation. A woman with long blonde hair hanging down her back in two pony tails and breasts so large even Sasuke couldn't help but stare at them for a moment entered the room. She looked vaguely familiar; judging by the white coat she was a doctor, so maybe she was part of the team who treated Itachi.

"My name's Tsunade," she said, shooting them both an appraising look with her brown eyes. "You convincing Shizune to move an extra bed in here has caused me a bit of a problem. I need to examine you, and it should be done in private. That's the reason that we have private rooms."

"Is that why it's called private healthcare?" Naruto quipped.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Tsunade glared. "No," she snapped. "Although apparently private healthcare now stands for letting the patents re-arrange the hospital at a whim because of who their fathers are."

Sasuke surmised that she was unimpressed at them sharing a room, though he couldn't see how it would matter to her. "I don't mind Naruto being here while you do whatever you have to do," he said.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

Tsunade sighed. "I should be in a casino right about now," she muttered under her breath, glancing at her watch. Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall. It was ten thirty am.

"Ok," she continued, "blondie first."

Naruto looked slightly indignant at the nick name, and Sasuke decided to remember it for future reference. He watched as Tsunade flicked through Naruto's chart, then began to poke and prod at him, shining a small torch into his eyes, making him turn his head. She examined the wound on his head last, a small frown marring her brow. Then it was Sasuke's turn.

He watched in morbid fascination as she carefully removed the dressing from his leg. The cut looked deep and nasty. It ran the length of his thigh, the dark stitches stark against his pale flesh. There was bruising all around it, as well. No wonder it hurt to walk. He was practically blinded by the tiny torch, and almost had his head wrenched off as she turned it every which way. Then she made him lie on his stomach. She lifted his gown, and began prodding at his back. Sasuke bit back a yelp.

He heard a sharp intake of breath from Naruto, and turned his head to look at him.

"It looks painful," Naruto said.

"It is." Sasuke replied tersely. "What happened?"

"When the tanker exploded it shattered the windscreen," Tsunade said. "The glass is designed shatter safely, but with the force of the blast we still had to pick pieces out of your back. I'm just making sure we didn't miss anything, and that you don't have any signs of infection."

"You protected me from that," Naruto said softly.

Sasuke felt his face flush. Naruto's eyes were too bright, and he felt that he would burn to ash if he held them any longer. He turned his head away, but could still feel them searing into him.

Finally Tsunade pulled his robe down, and allowed Sasuke to sit back up in bed. "Ok," she said, "I can't see any problems. We'll keep you in tonight, but you should be fine to go home tomorrow. I'll inform your families. Visiting time is three to four, and someone will be in with lunch around noon. If you need anything, just press the buzzer." With that, she was gone.

Sasuke slumped back onto the bed, suddenly exhausted. He winced at the pain in his back. He was going to have to have a look at some point to assess the damage.

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Despite what Tsunade had said about visiting time, their families turned up as they were eating their lunch. Sasuke had given Naruto his watery green jelly. He supposed it was supposed to be lime flavour, but it tasted like slimy nothing. Naruto seemed to enjoy it, though.

Sakura appeared first, laden with bags. Naruto scowled at her around his spoon. Sasuke allowed her to place a kiss on his temple with a twinge of guilt. It was unfair of him to be leading her on; as soon as he got home, he was going to tell his father. The wedding would be cancelled and he would be with Naruto. Sakura might hate him, his father might disapprove, but suddenly that didn't seem to matter as much as it had. He was almost tempted to tell Sakura now, but he couldn't risk his father finding out second hand. He had to explain it to his father first. So he gritted his teeth and played the part of the fiancé for a little bit longer, despite Naruto's scowls. He would explain it to him once Sakura left.

"I tried to find your pyjamas," Sakura was saying as she dumped a large bag on his bed, narrowly missing his injured leg, "but I couldn't find them anywhere, so I brought you some."

She began pulling various garments out of the bag. Sasuke watched in perplexed fascination; he was grateful that he had something other than the robe provided by the hospital to wear, but he didn't see why he would need eight pairs of pyjamas for an overnight stay.

Sakura smiled. "I couldn't decide which pair would be best," she said. "Then I thought that you may need towels, and shower gel. And I brought grapes, because…well, that's just what you do, isn't it?"

With a nasty twinge of guilt, Sasuke realised that there were tears swimming behind her green eyes. She turned away, briefly scrubbing at her eyes, before unpacking her bags. The small table beside his bed was soon crowded; Sakura had brought a crystal bowl to put the grapes in, and she had also brought a bunch of bananas and a few apples to go with them. She stacked up a pile of cross word puzzle books, several pens, a mug, a box of chocolates, and a get-well-soon balloon. She had a picture which she hung on the wall, and a stuffed bear which she tucked into bed beside Sasuke. Naruto didn't escape the influx of presents; he also had a mug, some grapes, and two pairs of pyjamas.

"Um, you do know we're only here for one night, right?" Naruto said as Sakura straightened the painting. It wasn't anything Sasuke had seen before, an abstract piece full of blue and orange swirls.

"Yeah, I know," Sakura said "it's just when I get upset or stressed or whatever, I feel the need to shop. Plus, you should be comfortable, even if it is for one night."

Sasuke exchanged a look with Naruto, who gave him a puzzled shrug. Obviously it was a girl thing. Sasuke couldn't really see why random art would make him more comfortable. Sakura took a while to get the picture just right. When she was done, she turned to them with a bright smile.

"There, it's perfect," she said.

The increasingly awkward atmosphere was broken by Kushina, Minato and Mikoto entering the room. Sasuke suffered through his mother's embrace. She was shaking, and he felt bad for putting her through this. It was bad enough that she had to constantly worry about Itachi, without him getting himself hurt. Sasuke didn't bother to ask where his father was. Fugaku rarely visited Itachi when he had to stay overnight in the hospital, and it wasn't as if Sasuke's injuries were serious.

"You scared me," his mother whispered.

"I know, I'm sorry," Sasuke replied.

He glanced over to see Naruto practically buried by his parents. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sakura standing to one side, a strange look on her face.

"It's not your fault," Mikoto said, placing a kiss against his temple.

Sasuke let it go, but it certainly felt like it was his fault. He had been the one driving. If Naruto had died…he shook the thought away; it didn't bear thinking about.

Kushina had brought along get well cards from pretty much everyone they knew. Since Sakura had filled the tables, Kushina borrowed some drawing pins and pinned them to the wall.

The next few hours were filled with banal small talk, while every one side stepped the issue of why they were there. It was actually pretty awkward, though at least Sasuke and Naruto could fall back on talking about their time in Scotland. Sakura wanted all the details of Hinata's wedding, which made things a different kind of awkward.

By the time their guests left the room looked like the site of some very bizarre carnival, and Sasuke was exhausted.

"Well, at least we're well provisioned," Naruto said, popping a grape into his mouth. They had both managed to slope off into the bathroom to change into their pyjamas. Sasuke had to admit that Sakura had good taste when it came to clothing.

"They were all really freaked out, weren't they?" Sasuke said. It had been really weird; Kushina hadn't so much as glared at Sakura, and Sakura had kept her distance, but kept on looking at him, her eyes strangely shadowed. His Mother had seemed close to tears, and Minato had barely cracked a smile.

"You know, I had a plan," he continued. "I thought that if I couldn't get out of the wedding, then we could fake our deaths and run off somewhere together, I had it all planned out; I wrote it out in a letter to you when you were away."

"Sasuke, that's crazy."

"I know that, but I thought…I thought that if it was the only option I could do it, but now I know I can't do that to them."

Naruto sighed. "I would never let it come to that," he said, "you insane, melodramatic bastard."

Sasuke had been staring at his fingers as they tangled in the sheets, twisting at the soft fabric. He looked up at Naruto, ready to see censure in his eyes. Naruto's expression was soft, loving. It gave him strength

"I'm telling my father about us when we get out of here," Sasuke said. "I don't want to pretend any more, I'm sick of it."

Naruto's grin just about lit up the room. "Thank God," he breathed.

"All I want is you," Sasuke continued. "And I don't care what he thinks. Well, I do care, but not as much as I care about you. And I won't let him, or anyone else hurt you."

Naruto reached out, and Sasuke caught hold of his hand. "I really wish we weren't stuck in these pokey little beds," Naruto murmured wryly. "I really want to hold you."

Sasuke snorted. "I don't want to pop a stitch," he said.

"I do mean sex. Well, I want that too, but I just want to know you're close." He tightened his grip on Sasuke's hand. Sasuke squeezed back, comforted by the warmth.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was dark, so dark; he could hear his breathing, his heart beat, but he couldn't see anything. Pushing down panic, Sasuke began to run. He felt like he was in the same spot, running in unchanging, featureless darkness. Somewhere in the darkness, he could hear screams.

Then, a light. Naruto stood, back to him, glowing in the darkness. Sasuke tried to call his name, but his voice didn't work. He stretched out his hand, desperate to reach his lover. He wasn't getting any closer.

Minutes, seconds, hours, Sasuke didn't know how long his agony stretched on for. Then Naruto turned to face him. He was covered in blood; it ran down his cheeks, poured from a gaping hole in his chest. His flesh was corpse pale, and the light around him turned to flames. Sasuke screamed.

He jolted awake, heart pounding, breathing heavily. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark hospital room, and the fear from the dream lay heavy on him as the darkness echoed that of his nightmare. He let out a choked sob, trying desperately to calm his racing heart.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's sleepy voice came from the darkness.

"Bad dream," Sasuke managed to say. His voice was shaking. He heard Naruto shift in bed, and felt his eyes on him.

"How bad?" Naruto asked.

"Bad," Sasuke replied. He wasn't about to tell Naruto that he had dreamed him dead. He closed his eyes, but he could still see the image of Naruto covered in blood, as if it was plastered on the backs of his eyelids. He shuddered.

He heard shuffling, then a crash as something, probably the fruit bowl, fell onto the floor.

"Budge up," Naruto murmured from bedside his bed. "I can't sleep."

Sasuke shifted over, lifting the covers. Naruto slipped in beside him. The bed was narrow for one person. To keep from falling out they had to press tightly together. Sasuke let out a sigh as he felt Naruto's familiar form press against him. Their legs tangled together carefully avoiding the wound on Sasuke's thigh. Naruto cupped Sasuke's face, and kissed him tenderly.

"I love you," Naruto whispered, his fingers brushing through Sasuke's hair. Sasuke clung on to him, relishing the feel of Naruto, warm and real and breathing. He hadn't thought that he would be able to fall back asleep, not after the nightmare, but being close to Naruto soothed him.

He woke to the room being filled with light. Next to him, Naruto let out a sleepy grunt, and buried his head in Sasuke's chest. Sasuke opened his eyes to find the doctor, Tsunade, standing over them. A frown tugged her brows down, but her lips twitched as if she was struggling not to laugh.

Sasuke tried to sit up and shake Naruto off, but the bed was so narrow he was in danger of pitching them both out of it. Naruto raised his head, glaring at Sasuke with eyes still hazed with sleep.

"You do realise that this is a hospital and not a boarding house," Tsunade said, her voice icy.

Naruto's eyes widened as he noticed her for the first time. He shot Sasuke a panicked look. "Ummm, you see I can't sleep unless I have something to cuddle so Sasuke…" he trailed off with an apologetic smile.

Tsunade picked up the bear that Sakura had left; it was lying abandoned on the floor surrounded by scattered grapes. "Next time use this," she said.

Naruto laughed. Sasuke nudged him, subtly telling him to stop digging.

"Your hypocritic oath will stop you from telling anyone about this, right?" Naruto continued, Ignoring Sasuke.

"It's _Hippocratic_," Sasuke hissed at him.

"Because Sasuke really wants to speak to his dad first." Naruto said.

Sasuke groaned.

"I mean, personally, the more people who know the better, but Sasuke wants to do things his way."

"Naruto, please stop."

"I'm a doctor," Tsunade said, "I see far weirder stuff than this every day. I don't care who you sleep with. What I care about is that together you are over the weight capacity for that bed, and they cost a lot of money to replace. If I had known you wanted to share, I would have brought in one of the special beds we have for grossly obese patients. I need to give you one last check up, then we'll sort out the discharge paperwork. Back to your own bed, now." She glared at Naruto.

With a sigh, Naruto slipped out of Sasuke's bed, and back into his own. They were subjected to more prodding and poking. Sasuke was sure that Tsunade was dragging it out on purpose. By the time she was finished, Sasuke had a whole new respect for Itachi. He was going to make sure he never got hurt enough to end up in a hospital ever again.

"So we can go now?" Naruto asked as Tsunade slipped her tiny but insanely bright torch back into the pocket of her lab coat.

"Yes," she replied. "You'll both need to come back in a week so I can check your stitches. They should be ready to come out by then, too."

"And we can just go on as before, there's nothing we can't do?"

"Yes; you're both fully functional, though I would advise that Sasuke takes a bit of care with that leg for a few days."

"What about sex?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Do it as much or as little as you want. I really don't care." She turned and left the room.

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a grin. "We're good to go," he said. "You know, Hospital is on my list of places to have sex. It's after roller-coaster."

"I'm sure our parents would just love to walk in on that," Sasuke said pushing off the covers and half sliding half falling out of the bed. It was ridiculously high. "Wait, you want to have sex on a roller-coaster?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'd settle for a blow job," he said. "Wanna go to an amusement park?"

"No." Sasuke said with a small shudder. "I want to shower and go home."

"I don't mean now," Naruto replied, smiling his bright smile.

Sensing that Naruto wasn't letting this one go, Sasuke paused en route to the bathroom. "Naruto, I am not going to give you a blow job on a roller coaster. Ever."

"Ghost train?"

Sasuke considered this for a moment."Only as long as it's not one of the ones that turn into a roller coaster half way through."

"Deal. Ready to negotiate on the hospital one?"

Sasuke fought back a grin. "Storage cupboard next time Itachi has his treatment." He offered.

The look in Naruto's eyes turned sultry. "Hospital bathroom, now."

Before he could even think of a response to that, Sasuke found himself inside the bathroom, Naruto's mouth hot and hungry against his. His back connected with the door, and he twisted away with a cry of pain.

"Shit! Sorry," Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke twisted the lock on the door just in case, and turned to his lover. "It's ok," he said. He stripped off the pyjama top, and twisted, trying to look at his back in the tiny mirror above the sink. He couldn't see it all, but what he did see made him wince; dark bruises mottled his shoulder blades, and there were so many scratches that it looked like he had lost a fight with an angry cat.

"What a mess," he muttered to himself.

Naruto placed his palms against Sasuke's cheeks, gently turning his head until Sasuke was staring into his deep blue eyes. "It will heal," he said. "You're still beautiful."

Sasuke snorted, but the comment had butterflies thumping in his stomach. Naruto kissed him, deep and tender, making the butterflies to melt. His hands trailed down Sasuke's chest, before cupping his hips and pulling him flush against Naruto. Sasuke let out a small moan. This time it was Naruto's back that met the door.

Sasuke pulled away with a small smirk. The bathroom was small; the shower cubicle, toilet and sink pretty much took up the whole floor plan. With his back and his leg, he didn't think that he would be up for any of the positions they would need use in the tiny space, but there were still plenty of things that they could do. He dropped to his knees, taking Naruto's pyjama bottoms with him.

"Settle for a blow job?" Sasuke murmured, his lips inches away from Naruto's dick. He heard Naruto's breath hitch, and glanced up to see Naruto looking down at him.

"Mmm, I suppose so, but only because of how hot you look with my cock in your mouth."

Sasuke smirked, his eyes flicking back to Naruto's cock he opened his mouth and extended his tongue, flicking at the head with it. Naruto groaned and tangled his fingers in Sasuke's hair. Sasuke resisted for a moment, continuing to lightly tease Naruto with his tongue in a way that he knew would make Naruto loose it pretty quickly. The fingers in his hair tightened.

"Sasuke," Naruto hissed, "Stop being a fucking tease."

"Make me," Sasuke replied, relaxing his throat in preparation.

Naruto pulled Sasuke's head forward, thrusting with his hips at the same time, sinking his cock deep into Sasuke's throat with a groan. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hips, tightening his mouth around the shaft. Naruto's grip on Sasuke's hair loosened, allowing Sasuke to move his head in time with the shallow thrusts of Naruto's hips. The taste of Naruto on his tongue had Sasuke hard and aching, and he was almost reconsidering the whole sex thing. He wanted Naruto, wanted to be joined with him in every way possible. And if he wasn't worried that his leg may give way, or a few stitches pop out, he would have suggested that they move on to the shower.

He settled for slipping a hand down his pyjama bottoms, gripping his own dick and stroking it in time with Naruto's thrusts into his mouth. He could feel Naruto's eyes on him, and it sent an extra spike of pleasure to his balls.

Naruto's hands released his hair, stroking down his face. He gently pulled Sasuke off of his dick. "I want to continue in the shower," he said, his voice husky with lust. And that completely quashed any worries Sasuke might have had about popping a stitch.

Sasuke let Naruto pull him to his feet; there was a slight twinge in his leg which he ignored because Naruto was kissing him again. Sasuke unbuttoned and pushed the pyjama top off of Naruto, while Naruto tugged down Sasuke's bottoms. They stepped into the shower, which was just big enough for the two of them, still kissing.

Naruto turned on the water, twiddling with the temperature until it was just right. The shower gel and shampoo that Sakura had brought sat on a small shelf along with those provided by the hospital. Sasuke grabbed one of the hospital issue ones, and turned back to Naruto. He poured some into his hand, and began to spread it on Naruto's chest, caressing his way slickly down.

Naruto took the bottle from Sasuke, and began mimicking him, a slow and sensual caress that had all of Sasuke's nerves on fire. He moved closer to Naruto until their bodies pressed together, cocks brushing in a way that had Sasuke gasping.

Naruto slipped a slick hand between them, and grasped both their dicks. He began stroking them slowly, cupping Sasuke's ass with his other hand. Sasuke's legs threatened to give way, so he gripped onto Naruto's shoulders. He pressed his lips against Naruto's, feeling his mouth opening against his. Sasuke twisted his tongue with Naruto's as the hand on their cocks began to move faster. The feeling of his cock pressed against Naruto's, the water cascading warmly across his skin, Naruto's mouth against his, and that hand, slick and warm and moving in the perfect rhythm, all conspired to have him gasping, his heart pounding. He could feel Naruto's heart beating in harmony with his, and despite everything, the moment felt so perfect and right.

Sasuke came with a shuddering cry. He broke the kiss to watch Naruto continue to stroke his own dick, Sasuke's come coating it and his hand. The sight was almost enough to have Sasuke half hard again. He joined his hand with Naruto's, and watched as Naruto shot with a groan.

They washed each other, Sasuke taking particular care of the cut on Naruto's head as he washed his hair. He hated to see his lover marked like that, and a small twinge of guilt still said that it was his fault that Naruto was injured. Looking at it scared him, because it brought back the memory of seeing Naruto slumped and bleeding, and not knowing if he was dead or alive. Sasuke suspected that that image would stay with him for the rest of his life.

They came out of the bathroom to find Sakura taking the cards down from the walls. Both their beds were made, and their things neatly packed, so she had obviously been there a while. Sasuke froze as she turned to them with a bright smile.

"I thought I'd help you get your things together," Sakura said. "Suigetsu is waiting downstairs in the car, so we can just leave when you're both ready." She paused, and gave them both a quizzical look. "What were the two of you doing in the bathroom?"

Sasuke's mind went blank; thankfully Naruto was on the ball.

"We were cleaning our teeth," he said with a grin.

Sakura apparently brought the lie; she just nodded and went back to the cards. Sasuke and Naruto shared a panicked look. Then Naruto scowled.

"I don't even know why I'm covering for us," he whispered. "It would be better if she just found out."

"I'll speak to my father today, then I'll tell her. I promise." Sasuke hissed back.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and strode over to his bed, rifling through Sakura's neatly folded piles to grab a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Well, I'm getting changed first," he said loudly, ducking back into the bathroom.

Sasuke went to his own bed to find something to wear.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked, her back to him. Her voice sounded subdued, at odds with the bright smile she had flashed.

"A bit sore," Sasuke replied, "but not too bad."

"I was watching the news, and they said that some people had died in that crash."

Sasuke's stomach clenched as he remembered the screams, the burning car, the explosion. The blood running down Naruto's face. He and Naruto had been incredibly lucky.

"It's scary, you know," she continued, "because, I can't help but thinking how easily that could have been you. I guess I'm just being morbid."

"No, I know how you feel," Sasuke replied. "It's not morbid; it's true." He felt a bit sick; he had been so close to losing Naruto.

"Sorry," Sakura said, "it must be worse for you. I shouldn't have said anything. It's just when I thought that, I felt…" She trailed off, then to Sasuke's absolute dismay burst into tears.

Sasuke stared, stupid with shock, as his fiancée buried her head in her hands, and gave way to choking sobs. He should comfort her, but his feet remained rooted to the spot. Ironically, he knew exactly how she felt, and he sort of wanted to give way to tears himself. But seeing her so upset over him also made him feel like the biggest shit in the world. He was going to dump her less than three weeks before their wedding. Comforting her now suddenly seemed horribly hypocritical.

At that moment, Naruto returned, fully dressed. His eyes flicked from Sakura, to Sasuke. "You didn't?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Of course not," Sasuke hissed back, feeling worse than ever. He reached out an awkward hand and placed it on Sakura's shoulder, hoping that it would count as giving comfort, while remaining abstract enough to ease his conscience. The minute his hand touched her, Sakura spun and launched herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. Her body shook with her sobs, and Sasuke could feel the dampness from her tears. It was unpleasant. He shot Naruto a help-me look, but Naruto just shrugged.

Sasuke settled for running a hand through Sakura's hair, and making soothing noises. He ignored Naruto, who was snickering to himself. Eventually, Sakura stopped crying. She remained in Sasuke's arms for a few moments while she composed herself. His leg ached, but he forced himself to ignore it. Naruto had long since become bored, and had finished the packing that Sakura had started.

"I'm sorry about that," Sakura said, pulling away from Sasuke.

"It's ok," he replied awkwardly. "I should get dressed, though."

Sakura stared at him for a long moment, the look in her eyes unreadable. "Ok," she said. "Naruto and I can take the stuff down to the car."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke didn't really want to let Naruto out of his sight. Ever again. But he had to speak to his father, and he had a feeling that Naruto would quickly become pissed off if Sasuke became too clingy; he remembered how stifling Sakura had been, although she seemed to be keeping her distance at the moment. She was all bright smiles again, even if, after her tears, Sasuke was sure they were all fake.

They dropped Naruto off at his house. The car Sasuke had been driving when they crashed had been a write off according to Suigetsu, but his other vehicle was fine. They had managed to extract all of their luggage from the boot, So Naruto was fairly burdened as he exited the car. Sakura was silent on the short drive to the Uchiha mansion, which suited Sasuke. All her conversation in recent weeks had surrounded the wedding, and he didn't think that he would be able to plan something that he was going to cancel. He would talk to his father, then Sakura, then he would go to Naruto and never leave his side. Well, that was the plan, anyway.

After sending Sakura off to let his mother knows that he was back, Sasuke dumped his stuff in his room, and headed straight for his father's study. He didn't want to have too much time to think about what he was about to do, because he might lose his nerve. It was the right thing to do, he kept on telling himself that. It was just, it had seemed more right back in the hospital with Naruto than it did standing outside his father's study. Sasuke took a deep calming breath, which didn't work, and knocked on the door. He waited a minute that seemed like an eternity. There was no reply. Sasuke knocked again.

"What are you doing?"

He spun around to find Inabi, one of his cousins, giving him a puzzled look.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Sasuke snapped.

"Fugaku isn't here, so it's pointless knocking on the study door." He turned the handle and pushed the door open to show how empty the study was.

Sasuke stared into the empty room, then back to his cousin. "Where is he? When is he coming back?"

"He's in Germany, and we don't know. Surely you knew _that_?"

Sasuke lost his temper. "No I don't know that," he exclaimed, "I just got back from the hospital; I was in a car crash, surely you knew _that_? Why is my father in Germany?"

Inabi stared at him. "A car crash? Are you ok?"

"Of course I'm bloody ok; I need to know why my father is in Germany and when he will be back. It's important."

"We don't know when he'll be back; there was an emergency with one of our companies over there, and he had to go in person to sort it out. He did say he would be back in time for your wedding." Inabi smiled, as if Sasuke should be pleased by this. Sasuke tipped his head back against the wall with a groan. He muttered a thanks to his cousin, before striding off down the corridor.

This was bad; really bad. Now he knew why his father hadn't visited him in the hospital. Fugaku could be gone for weeks, and Sasuke couldn't cancel the wedding without telling him first. And he needed to be face to face to do it; he didn't think that an email, or phone call, or even web chat would work. He needed to be in the same room as his father, but he didn't think that turning up in Germany in the middle of an important meeting, or whatever it was his father was doing, for the sole purpose of cancelling his wedding would go down very well.

He had reached his car, sat down and strapped himself in without really thinking about it. As he placed his key in the ignition he paused. His heart pounded in his ears, so loud that he thought he would burst a blood vessel. The screams, the flames, the blood. It all echoed around his head, and he felt like throwing up.

"Don't be an idiot." He muttered to himself.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on breathing slowly and evenly. In and out, in and out. There was no way that he was going to let the accident stop him from driving. When he felt calm enough, he turned the key in the ignition, and began to drive slowly away from the house.

He was lucky that Naruto's home was close by, and the roads were rarely used. His heart was pounding in his throat and his hands were shaking by the time he pulled into the driveway. He let himself into the house, and numbly wandered to Naruto's room. Since it was still the middle of the day, and Naruto expected him to show up after confronting his father, Naruto wasn't there. Sasuke didn't care. He lay down on the bed which smelled like Naruto, grasped his ring in his fist, and let the tears come.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So sorry for the lateness of this update! I really wanted to keep updating weekly, but realisticaly it's just not going to happen at the moment. :( I will try my best to get the next chapter up soon, but it will probably be the week after next.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I really love reading them ^^**

**Here's chapter fifteen, please let me know what you think :)**

Chapter Fifteen

_25__th__ August – 2 weeks and 5 days to the wedding_

Naruto wandered around the garden for what felt like the first time in years. It hadn't really changed, either. There were still random flowerbeds dotted around, where his mother had started some gardening project before getting bored. The swing set where he and Sasuke had played as children still nestled beside a tangle of trees that they had used to climb. Almost, Naruto expected to see 10 year old Sasuke come running out, caught up in whatever game they had invented for themselves. Caught up in nostalgia, Naruto sat on one of the swings, and gently rocked himself with his toe.

He almost whished that he was 10 again. Everything had seemed so much simpler back then. He had settled down to lunch, thankfully cooked by Hinata instead of Kushina, but he couldn't stand how different everyone was. Ok, he had been in an accident, but he was fine. A little bit bruised, and he would have a cool scar on his forehead, but apart from that, he was fine. Sasuke was the one who had been in real danger; Naruto could still vividly remember the feeling of his blood, soaking through the makeshift bandage, hot and damp against his fingers. He shuddered. He had seen enough of Sasuke's blood to last him a lifetime; Sasuke's blood definitely belonged inside Sasuke's body, and Naruto felt that it was his job to keep it there. Especially since Sasuke had risked his life to protect Naruto. Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that it was supposed to be the other way around; that he was supposed to protect Sasuke from harm.

He wondered how Sasuke's talk with his dad was going. Part of Naruto wished that he was there to offer support, while another part was fairly glad to stay well away. What had decided it, though, had been the gut instinct that this was one fight Sasuke needed to go into alone. Naruto had his back, always, but Sasuke needed to stand up to his father by himself. Naruto just hoped that Sasuke didn't bottle it when the time came. Because, after almost losing him, Naruto was determined that he was never letting Sasuke go again.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket; no missed calls, no texts. It had been a few hours; surely Sasuke was finished by now. Naruto fought against sudden apprehension. Sasuke had been pretty adamant up until now that just telling his father the truth wasn't a good idea. What if he was right? What if Fugaku had locked him up somewhere? What if he was even now forcing Sasuke and Sakura into a secret wedding ceremony? Naruto clenched his teeth at that thought. Sasuke would refuse; he had promised that he would cancel the wedding, that he would be with Naruto. He would refuse any secret ceremony, and he if he was locked up, he would escape.

Naruto held onto his belief in Sasuke. Sasuke may have the strange compulsion to fit the mould of the most dutiful son ever, but he wasn't about to go back on his word. Naruto bit his lip as he glanced at his phone, still held in his hand. He was tempted to call Sasuke, just to make sure that he was alright, but before they had left Scotland, he had programmed Sasuke's phone to play _Don't Marry Her _by the Beautiful South, and it wasn't the clean version. That could potentially be incredibly inappropriate.

However, since Naruto wasn't well known for his tact and diplomacy, and since he really needed to hear Sasuke's voice, he tried to call anyway. It rang for what felt like an eternity, before going to answer phone. Sasuke had never programmed a personal message, and Naruto hadn't managed to hack into his mail box, so he was forced to listen to the robotic female voice asking him to leave a message. Naruto hung up and tried again, with the same level of success. Now he was worried.

He slipped off of the swing, and headed back to the house. He had to find Sasuke, had to know that he was alright. Naruto grabbed his keys and headed to his car, determined to drive to the Uchiha Mansion. He paused at the sight of Sasuke's car, more abandoned than parked in the middle of the driveway. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Naruto spun and dashed back into the house, his heart pounding. He almost crashed into his dad, who was coming down the stairs.

"Have you seen Sasuke?" he demanded of his startled father.

"No," Minato replied, puzzled.

Naruto dashed past him; he was pretty sure he knew where Sasuke would go, but he didn't understand why he hadn't answered his phone, or at least called Naruto back. He barrelled into his bedroom, pausing in the doorway with relief at the sight of Sasuke curled up on his bed. The relief quickly faded as Sasuke remained motionless. Naruto's entry had been fairly loud, but Sasuke didn't so much as raise his head.

"Sasuke?" Naruto ventured, trying to keep his voice soft. He approached his bed cautiously, as if he were approaching an injured animal. Sasuke remained where he was, his back to Naruto, curled in a foetal position. Naruto sat down on the bed, and carefully ran his hand through Sasuke's soft black hair. In a sudden whirl of movement, Sasuke spun around and buried his face in Naruto's lap, his arms tightly circling his waist.

Naruto froze, watching with a mixture of horror and concern as his lover completely broke down. His fingers digging tightly into Naruto's flesh, Sasuke began sobbing harshly, as if the tears were being torn from him. Naruto didn't know if this was a delayed reaction from the crash, or if something else had happened. Whatever it was, he didn't think that he had ever seen Sasuke this upset. He began stroking his fingers through Sasuke's hair, making soft shushing noises; he wasn't sure if it was making things better or worse, but it seemed like the thing to do.

Sasuke was speaking between sobs, he realised, but the words were incomprehensible. When it became apparent that Sasuke wasn't going to be stopping any time soon, Naruto carefully shifted them so that they were lying down. It was more comfortable, and Naruto could hold Sasuke close. Sasuke buried his head in Naruto's chest, tangling their legs together. Naruto's cock took sudden interest in Sasuke pressing against it, despite Naruto's concern. Naruto tried to ignore the sudden ache; Sasuke needed his support, to be comforted. Although, he thought, there was more than one way to offer comfort. He buried that thought for the moment. He needed to find out what was wrong first.

Sasuke's sobs had stopped, so Naruto risked cupping his cheeks and raising his head to look into his eyes. They were blood-shot and glistening with tears, and the look of despair in those black pools had Naruto's heart clenching.

"What happened? What's wrong?" He asked, stroking Sasuke's cheeks with his thumbs.

"My father's in Germany," Sasuke said.

"Your father's in Germany?" Naruto repeated, completely baffled. Of all the possible answers, that was one that he hadn't even considered. "Why?" He found himself asking, although he didn't really care.

Sasuke pulled his face away from Naruto's hands, scowling. "For a meeting or something; it doesn't matter. He could be gone for weeks."

Naruto was about to ask why this would be considered a bad thing, when the import of Sasuke's words finally hit him. "Weeks?" He asked, "As in, the weeks leading up to the wedding he's paying for which you want to cancel? Fuck!"

He didn't even bother asking if Sasuke had called him. If Sasuke thought calling would work, he would have done it while they were in Scotland. Naruto bit his lip, thinking. "We could always just tell Sakura, and surprise him when he comes back," he suggested. He had a sudden, inappropriate mental image of them hiding in a darkened room, and jumping out at Fugaku as he entered, yelling surprise and waving rainbow flags.

Sasuke's scowl deepened. "No," he said, "I need to tell my father first, explain it to him; I can't have him finding out second hand from gossips, or a really pissed off Sakura. It needs to come from me." And then he burst into tears again.

Naruto fell back on the shushing noises, trying to ignore his irritation and see things from Sasuke's perspective. It was hard; he had been pretty sure that being gay freed him from having to deal with all this mood swing crap. He briefly considered mentioning this to Sasuke in the hope that implying he was acting like a woman would make him pissed off enough to stop crying. Although little girl was probably closer to the truth; most of the women Naruto knew would beat the crap out of him if he so much as implied they were weak. Some sixth sense told him that this would be a very bad idea, either way. Besides, his mother would probably force him to watch a bunch of documentaries on the feminist movement if she found out he was gender stereotyping again. Instead, he settled for more hair stroking.

"Don't worry," he said, "we still have time, we can just go to Germany, and tell him. It'll be fine." Naruto had another rainbow flag waving mental image. Germany was famous for sausages, he thought; they could slip a few puns in as well.

"No we can't; believe me, if my father can get someone to do all the leg work for him, he will. I don't know what's going on, but if he's gone in person then it must be serious. He won't have time to listen to what I say."

"It's not going to take much time," Naruto countered; "two sentences; 'I'm gay' and 'I'm not marrying Sakura.' In fact, you could probably do it in one."

"Are you even taking this seriously?" Sasuke demanded. His tears had been replaced by anger, which Naruto saw as a good thing. Angry Sasuke he could deal with.

"Of course I am," Naruto replied, becoming a bit irritated himself. "It's just you overcomplicate every damn thing. Why can't you see how simple this is; I love you, I want to be with you."

"There is nothing simple about love," Sasuke replied, "and getting my father to understand it isn't going to be easy. That's why I can't have him distracted by what's happening in Germany."

"But we're running out of time," Naruto reminded gently.

"I know!" Sasuke's face crumbled, but he didn't give way to tears again. "I can't marry Sakura, and I can't be without you, but I can't cancel the wedding without speaking to my father first. What am I going to do? What if he doesn't get back in time?"

Naruto wrapped his arms possessively around Sasuke. "There is no way that I am letting that wedding happen," he said fiercely. "You're mine, Sasuke."

"But-"

Naruto stopped him with a kiss, fierce and possessive. He hated this; all the indecision, the hiding, the secrecy. Sasuke was his, and he wanted the world to know. Sasuke might be afraid what his father thought, but Naruto honestly didn't give a shit. He wished that Sasuke could see that having his father's approval didn't really mean a great deal; so what if Fugaku was angry with them, so what if he disapproved? Sasuke was his son, maybe he wouldn't understand right away, but he would given time. Or at least, that's what Naruto believed. Besides, Sasuke was better than just being the model heir. He wished Sasuke could see that, too.

Sasuke was limp against him; not avoiding the kiss, but not participating in it, either. Naruto pulled out of the kiss, dismayed to see the bleakness back in Sasuke's eyes.

"I can't do anything right," Sasuke said, his voice soft.

"What do you mean? You-"

"I _Can't! _I'm terrible; I'm upsetting you, and it kills me. Sakura's going to hate me, my father will disown me. I almost got you killed, Naruto; you could have died, and every time I think of that it gets hard to breathe, and I won't be without you, I _won't_, but everything is such a mess, and it's all my fault!"

Sasuke took a deep breath, and began crying again. "Why do you even love me? How can you?"

Naruto gathered him close again, suddenly angry at the whole fucked up situation for pushing Sasuke to this. "It's not your fault," he said. "And I've loved you as long as I've known you, it's in my blood. I couldn't not love you."

If anything, this made Sasuke cry harder. While Naruto was no therapist, he could recognise that guilt from the accident had pushed Sasuke into this self-loathing pity party. He just didn't know what to do to get his lover back.

"You should hate me," Sasuke said.

"Why? Why would I hate you?"

"Because I hurt you, I should have cancelled this stupid wedding straight away, as soon as I realised how you felt. I should have just been with you. I fucked everything up. Sakura loves me, and I'm going to hurt her too. I deserve to be hated."

Naruto forced Sasuke's head up so he could look into his eyes. "Enough," he said, "I don't hate you. It doesn't matter what happens, what you do to me, I will always love you, but this has to stop, now. Yeah, you should have cancelled the wedding earlier; I've been telling you to do it for months, but this, now, is not your fault. It's not your fault your dad is in Germany, it's not your fault Sakura's in love with you, and that accident certainly wasn't your fault. I'm not sitting here watching you drown in self pity like some little school girl. You're strong, Sasuke, stronger than anyone I know. Even if Sakura hates you forever, and your father disowns you, you'll survive, and prove that you're better than them. And through all that, I'll be there, by your side."

Naruto paused to shoot Sasuke a small smile. The tears were gone again, thank God, and Sasuke's eyes were fixed on his, taking in every word. "I love you, Sasuke. Everyone makes mistakes, and you can't make everybody happy. All you can do is try your best, and that's what you've been doing."

"I don't deserve you," Sasuke said.

Naruto shrugged. "Probably not, but you've got me anyway." He kissed Sasuke again, feeling the other man melt into him, his mouth opening. Naruto slid his tongue between Sasuke's lips, letting out a small moan as he felt Sasuke's tongue move against his. Frustratingly, Sasuke pulled away just as the kiss was becoming heated.

"This doesn't solve anything," he said. "Sakura still thinks I'm marrying her. I can't play along anymore, and I can't tell her it isn't going to happen."

Naruto could see the despair rising in Sasuke's eyes again. Desperate to stop it, he began kissing Sasuke again, because he didn't have any more words. He kissed Sasuke's cheeks, tasting the salt of his tears, and trailed a line down his throat.

"I'm not going home until my father returns," Sasuke said.

Naruto raised his head, and stared into Sasuke's dark eyes. "That doesn't solve anything, either," he said. "You can't just avoid Sakura for almost three weeks, she's going to know something's wrong. You should just tell her, and swear her to secrecy." He began unbuttoning Sasuke's shirt, fingers questing for the hot flesh that the garment concealed.

"If you were in her position, would you keep quiet?"

Naruto paused in his exploration of Sasuke's body, trying to imagine himself in Sakura's position; loving Sasuke, thinking he loved her then finding out it was all a lie. The thought of Sasuke not loving him was like a fist of ice squeezing his heart. He wouldn't be able to bear it; even when Sasuke had been intent on still marrying Sakura, Naruto had still known that Sasuke loved him.

"No," he found himself answering. "I can't even begin to imagine how she would feel."

Sasuke reached out and cupped Naruto's cheek, his finger's caressing the flesh just under his cut. Sasuke's eyes were shadowed, and Naruto knew that every time Sasuke saw that mark he would remember the crash, and blame himself. He turned his head and kissed Sasuke's palm, flicking his tongue out and giving it a quick lick. He smiled as he saw the shadows in Sasuke's eyes vanish.

"Everything will be ok, Sasuke, believe me. I will make sure of it." Naruto said. A sudden wave of inspiration hit him. "Just stay here for now," he continued, "we'll tell Sakura that it's an obscure Uchiha custom that the bride can't see the groom three weeks before the wedding instead of the night before."

He doubted that Sakura would buy it, but they could get everyone to play along. And maybe, if it raised doubts in her mind, it would make it easier when Sasuke finally did tell her. There was quite a bit of self interest involved, as well. This way he could keep Sasuke by his side, in his bed, away from his fiancée, and hopefully all thoughts of the wedding. Maybe it was a good thing that Fugaku was away; Sasuke was so emotionally vulnerable at the moment that he made Naruto want to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go. Confronting his father when he was like this would not end well.

Naruto rolled Sasuke onto his side, stripping his shirt off of him, and spooning behind him. He very gently ran his hand down Sasuke's back, caressing his way around the cuts and abrasions that marred his pale skin.

"You shouldn't look," Sasuke said. "It's ugly."

Naruto rolled his eyes and placed a soft kiss against Sasuke's shoulder blade. "Nothing about you is ugly," he said.

He kissed the back of Sasuke's neck, remembering the look in his dark eyes as he crouched protectively over him in the car. The shards of glass in his hair had caught the light from the fire, glowing in Sasuke's dark hair. Sasuke had been in pain, scared and confused, but all Naruto had seen in his eyes at that moment had been love.

"I love you," Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear. He took his earlobe between his teeth and sucked on it, loving the sound of Sasuke's breath catch. "You need to trust me, Sasuke."

"I do," Sasuke gasped out, "with my life."

"Then trust that I love you, trust that everything will be alright, trust that you're and amazing person and stop all this guilt bull crap and just love me."

Sasuke turned his head to face Naruto, a startled expression on his face. "It's that easy?" He asked.

Naruto smiled at him, glad that he was finally getting through to the stubborn bastard. "It's that easy," he said, pulling Sasuke into a kiss. He was pleased that Sasuke responded enthusiastically to the kiss. Sasuke's ass was pressing against his groin in a very tempting manner, and he was exhausted from all the talking. The best way to make Sasuke feel loved was to show him Naruto decided, running a hand down Sasuke's naked chest, feeling the hot skin tremble under his caress.

"Fuck me," Sasuke breathed, as if he was reading Naruto's mind. "I want you to make it all go away, so it's just you and me." He arched his back, pressing his backside against Naruto's groin. Naruto let out a soft gasp at the pressure, his cock hardening in anticipation.

Naruto rolled away long enough to remove his t-shirt and grab a tube of lube. He rolled back to see Sasuke looking at him over his shoulder. His eyes flicked to the tube in Naruto's hand.

"You don't need that," he said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in a glare directed at Sasuke. "I'm not fucking you dry," he said.

"I want it rough," Sasuke replied, "I want it to hurt,"

Naruto sighed. "No," he said, "The whole blame thing is over. I'm not hurting you because you feel that you deserve it."

The look in Sasuke's eyes turned feral, as if he had been issued a challenge. He turned his head away from Naruto and slipped his jeans off with a wiggle of his hips that had Naruto's mouth and dick drooling. Sasuke arched his back again, thrusting his ass towards Naruto. With what he considered excellent self control, Naruto removed his jeans and moved close to Sasuke. His naked cock rested against Sasuke's ass, but he refused to give into temptation and slam inside the way Sasuke wanted. Sasuke liked it rough, and normally Naruto didn't mind, but after seeing Sasuke bleeding like that Naruto didn't want to do anything that caused Sasuke pain, even if it was pain that brought pleasure. He didn't want to fuck; he wanted to make love, and after that look Sasuke had given him, he was going to make him beg for it.

Naruto began with gentle kisses to Sasuke's neck, soft caresses with his lips and tongue. He didn't use his teeth. He slid one arm under Sasuke, so he could caress his chest and stomach with two hands. Sasuke let out a hiss, and arched back against Naruto; with an uncanny precision he managed to line up his hole with Naruto's cock. Naruto caught his hips and held him still as he began kissing his shoulder blades, careful to avoid the cuts. His cock ached to be buried inside Sasuke, but he was going to do this right.

"Naruto," Sasuke hissed, tugging against Naruto's grip on his hips.

"I'm not hurting you," Naruto replied. "I want you desperate for my cock, but I'm not fucking you dry."

Grinning to himself, Naruto carefully kissed his way down Sasuke's spine. Most of the cuts were small, but a few had needed stitches. He avoided every one of them, pausing when he came to the top of Sasuke's ass. He moved his hands from Sasuke's hips onto his ass cheeks. He pulled them apart, exposing the darker flesh of Sasuke's hole. Naruto extended his tongue, and lapped at the tight ring, gratified to hear Sasuke let out a gasp. He kissed it a few times, gentle pecks that had Sasuke squirming for more, before extending his tongue to probe at the tight entrance.

"Naruto!" Sasuke gasped, "Stop teasing."

Naruto ignored him, working the tip of his tongue into Sasuke. He moaned at the taste, his aching cock agreeing with Sasuke. Naruto ignored it, too and delved his tongue deeper inside, caressing at the muscle of the opening with his lips.

"Please," Sasuke gasped out, twisting as if he couldn't decide to pull away from Naruto's tongue or try to get it deeper inside him. Naruto popped open the cap of the lube, pouring a generous amount into the palm of his hand. He slicked it over his aching cock, groaning at the wet pressure. Sasuke's breaths were coming in gasps as he twisted his tongue in his ass, not quite getting the right angle to lap at his prostate.

With one final thrust of his tongue, Naruto pulled it out of Sasuke's hole, and moved back up his body, placing the slick head of his cock at Sasuke's entrance. This time when Sasuke arched back against him the head breached him, sliding into tight heat. They both groaned, and Naruto grasped Sasuke's hips again, determined to control the speed.

"Fuck!" Sasuke groaned, "Sadistic bastard."

Naruto let out a snicker at the irony of that, and slid another slow inch into Sasuke. Saliva and the lube on his cock slicked the way, but it was still very tight, and Naruto longed to slam in all the way, feel that tightness grip his full length. Instead he grasped Sasuke's leg, lifting it up. The movement caused Naruto to slide in half way. He slowly pushed forward with his hips, sliding in until his balls met Sasuke's.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto forced himself to go slowly. He caressed the leg he was holding with his fingers, and kissed Sasuke's neck. When Sasuke turned his head, Naruto released his leg, and pulled him into a deep kiss. He continued his slow rhythm, until he felt that he was about to go mad from the pleasure coursing through his cock as it slid in and out of Sasuke's tight heat.

"Harder," Sasuke moaned, "faster, Naruto _please!"_

Naruto stared into Sasuke's lust clouded eyes, searching for any hint that the request was part of the punishment Sasuke was craving earlier. All he could see was need as great as his own.

"I love you," he murmured, kissing Sasuke deeply.

"I love you too, Naruto," Sasuke said against his mouth, "so much. Please, I need to feel you." His words trailed off into a deep groan that vibrated all the way to Naruto's balls.

Naruto kept his thrusts slow, but made them harder. Sasuke was moving in time with him, thrusting his hips back as Naruto drove his forwards. Naruto reached around Sasuke's body, and grabbed his cock, stroking it fast in counterpoint to his slow, deep thrusts. Sasuke let out a strange mewling sound as Naruto tightened his grip around his cock, and leaned back against Naruto, resting his head against Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto was quickly coming undone himself; trying to concentrate on moving his hips slowly and his hand fast, while pleasure ran from his cock in waves was not easy. Without even realising it, he had sped his hips up to match the rhythm of his hand. He was brought back to himself by the feeling of Sasuke coming, the warmth of it on his hand, the clenching of his ass around Naruto's cock, and the deep groan he let out. The pleasure peaked, and with one last deep thrust, Naruto was emptying himself deep inside Sasuke.

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, and buried his head in the back of Sasuke's neck, feeling his soft dark hair against his skin. Their breathing echoed through the room, harsh pants as they both still felt the after effects of their orgasms coursing through their bodies. Naruto placed a few quick kisses to the back of Sasuke's neck then rolled him over to place a deep kiss against his lips. Sasuke allowed himself to be moved; pliant and boneless, he returned Naruto's kiss languidly.

After a moment, Naruto pulled back to look into Sasuke's eyes. They were still shadowed, but the bleakness from earlier was gone. Naruto grinned, his smile deepening as it was returned by Sasuke.

"So you're going to trust me?" Naruto asked, brushing a fallen strand of hair away from Sasuke's eyes.

"I am," Sasuke said.

It was probably because it was the only option left; it wasn't like Sasuke, stubborn bastard that he was, to rely on anyone else when he had his mind set on how things were going to go. Still, the look in his eyes was genuine, and Naruto was mainly just happy that the earlier despair was gone.

"Ok, so we'll tell Sakura about the new Uchiha custom. That should give you some space from her while we wait for your dad to get back." Naruto hoped it was sooner rather than later. Shit was going to hit the fan big time if Sasuke had to wait until a few days before the wedding to call the whole thing off.

"Do you really think she'll buy that?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe; even if she doesn't, what's she going to do? We can get your mum and Itachi to go along with it; that should help with the authenticity. Besides, it's either that, or you go home and play happy families with her until your dad gets back."

Sasuke shuddered at that thought. "No, we'll go along with your plan," he said.

Naruto grinned again. He could get used to agreeable Sasuke, but he doubted that it would last very long. He would just have to make the most of it while he could.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

They started implementing Naruto's plan straight away. Kushina was brought in to speak to Mikoto, since Naruto was sure that Sasuke's mum was far more likely to listen to his mum than to him. Sasuke had point blank refused to go back home until his father was back, so they decided that he would write a letter to Sakura explaining everything, which Naruto would deliver.

Naruto spoke to Itachi before he gave the letter to Sakura. Sasuke's brother stared at Naruto as he explained the plan, a small smile twisting his lips. The ever present Neji looked openly disgusted with the whole thing, rolling his eyes so often that Naruto was sure they were going to pop out.

"My brother does like to overcomplicate things," Itachi said once Naruto had finished.

"I can't believe he's still stringing that poor girl along," Neji said with a scowl. "Why doesn't he just tell her truth?"

"Because he's Sasuke, and he's far too stubborn to see the sense in that," Naruto replied. "Will you help us out? It should only be for a few days." He shot them both his most winning smile.

"If Sakura asks, we'll go along with it," Itachi said, ignoring Neji's snort of disgust, "but tell Sasuke that he's going to owe me for this."

"Thank you," Naruto grinned, wondering what the sudden glint in Itachi's eyes would mean for Sasuke.

He stopped off at Sasuke's room to pick up some stuff. Sasuke had left him with a list, which Naruto mostly ignored. Instead he grabbed the bags from their trip to Scotland, which Sasuke, unusually, hadn't unpacked, and stuffed in a few changes of clothing. He slung Sasuke's laptop bag over his shoulder, and went in search of Sakura.

He found her in Sasuke's study, playing with the kitten. Naruto felt a short stab of guilt as he realised that he had completely forgotten about the little creature. Especially as "kitten" was number 12 on Sasuke's list.

"Hi!" She said brightly as Naruto stuck his head into the room.

"Er, hi," Naruto replied, entering the room. He hadn't really thought of how awkward this was going to be. "I have something for you," he said, "from Sasuke." Thank goodness for the letter. At least Naruto didn't have to explain it to her, which was just as well, since it was seeming less and less sane by the minute. Why the hell had Sasuke just agreed to Naruto's half assed spur of the moment idea?

Naruto handed the letter to her. Sakura took it, a curious frown pinching her brows, which Naruto suddenly noticed had been dyed pink.

"Where is Sasuke?" She asked. "I haven't seen him since we came back from the hospital."

"Uh, he's...you should read the letter," Naruto said.

Sakura glanced at the envelope in her hands, and after a moment's hesitation ripped it open. Naruto watched as her eyes quickly scanned the contents, and her pink brows rose high enough that they disappeared into her hairline. She read it again, a curious expression of amused disbelief on her face. _Shit, she's not buying it,_ Naruto thought. _We should have said he had to go on an emergency business trip. Why the hell didn't I think of that earlier? That's an amazing excuse. Damn. _

Finally, Sakura looked up from the letter. Naruto forced a bright smile onto his face.

"I've never heard of this custom before," Sakura said, a carefully schooled neutral expression on her face.

"Yeah, well we just found out about it, and you know how superstitious Sasuke is; he just doesn't want anything to go wrong." Naruto let out a burst of nervous laughter before he could stop himself.

"So we can't see each other until the wedding day?" Sakura asked.

"Yup," Naruto replied.

"We'll I wish I had known this sooner; there's still so much to do. I really need to speak to Sasuke. Can I call him?"

"Umm..." Naruto hadn't considered this.

"I mean," Sakura continued, "he wrote this letter, so it's not like we can't communicate."

"I...uh, I don't know. I mean, I'm not an Uchiha, so I don't know how these customs work, but I know Sasuke is very serious about them, so maybe I could take a message?" Naruto was pretty sure his grin looked forced now.

"A message. Ok, tell him..." Sakura paused for a minute, thinking. "Tell him that I understand, and that he should feel free to tell me anything. Anything." She put emphasis on the last anything, staring at Naruto as if she was trying to pass on some sort of secret message. Hopefully Sasuke would get it, because Naruto definitely didn't.

"I will," Naruto said with another forced grin.

"And Naruto? Make sure that you look after him."

"I will," Naruto said with absolute honesty.

Sakura smiled, and picked up the kitten, bumping its nose against her own. Kurohime swatted at Sakura's face, and she laughed. "Does Hinata want her back?" Sakura asked. "I have to confess I've grown quite attached to her."

Naruto suspected that they would have to fight over the little fur ball, since he was pretty sure Sasuke wanted her for himself. He supposed that it was some latent twinge of guilt that had him saying; "why don't you look after her a little longer? I'm sure Hinata won't mind."

After all, Hinata had Juugo, and Sasuke had Naruto. Sakura had no one, and she didn't even realise it yet. While Naruto had never really liked her, his dislike had been based on the fact that she was Sasuke's fiancée rather than anything concrete about her. He found himself feeling quite sorry for her; Sasuke was right, he really wasn't being fair to her. For the first time in his life, Naruto found himself wishing that Fugaku Uchiha would get himself back in the country. The sooner this whole wedding thing was over the better.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hinata hadn't been happy that Naruto had given her cat to Sakura, but he thought that she understood when he explained it to her. Sasuke had acted like he didn't care, but Naruto had seen the look of disappointment in his eyes. He had taken one look at the belongings Naruto had brought for him, and rolled his eyes with a snort. Everything went into the wash, and Sasuke borrowed some of Naruto's clothing. Naruto was glad that Sasuke had got past his depression and was just being irritating again.

For the first few days, Naruto had remained positive. He had Sasuke in his bed, and they didn't have to bother about hiding their relationship, which was great. Sasuke had seemed to thrive as well. Sakura had called a couple of times, but Sasuke had ignored her. Naruto had passed her message on, but Sasuke had been as clueless as he was about what it meant.

By the fifth day, with only two weeks left to the wedding, Sasuke had begun to panic. Naruto could see it in his eyes, and it killed him. He was seriously considering getting on a plane, and dragging the Uchiha patriarch back into the country. Sasuke crumbled and tried calling Fugaku on the eighth day, only to have no reply. He called several times throughout the day, with a similar level of success. Naruto wondered if Fugaku knew all about them, and was staying away on purpose to force Sasuke's hand. The thought of that made him so angry that he had to go and punch something.

That night, he held Sasuke tight while he cried softly. As much as Sasuke was his own worst enemy in the whole mess, Naruto's heart bled for him. He hated to see Sasuke upset, even if he was a pessimistic melodramatic bastard.

"It's ok," he whispered to his lover, "It's going to be ok."

"How?" Sasuke replied. "How can it possibly be ok?"

"Because I won't let the wedding happen, remember? I have a plan." Naruto hadn't wanted to reveal his plan to Sasuke, but he was willing to do anything to stop the damn tears.

Sasuke stared at him through fallen strands of dark hair. "What sort of plan? If it involves burning the church down, I'm voting against it. Probably voting against it."

"No, nothing so dramatic." Naruto flashed Sasuke a grin. The room was dark, but he could see Sasuke's eyes shining as he looked at him. "You know that bit where the priest says about anyone wanting to object or whatever? Well, I'll just object!"

Naruto decided that Sasuke's silence was due to his decent into depression; it was a good plan, an inspired plan. A little bit cliché, though Naruto didn't know how many gay lovers had used it to break up a wedding.

"That's your plan," Sasuke eventually said, his voice flat.

"Yup."

"I think the whole objection thing is for legal reasons, Naruto. Like, if I was already married, or if Sakura was secretly my sister."

Naruto thought about that for a moment; either of those lies would be pretty damn spectacular, but he would rather stick to the truth. It would cause enough chaos to at least halt the wedding long enough for Sasuke to explain everything to Sakura and his father.

"It will still work," Naruto insisted, "besides, it's not like we're going to need it, it's like plan X. Your dad will be back before the wedding."

"How can you possibly know that? What if he's not back before the day of the ceremony? What if he's back after? If we stop the wedding like that he's going to be really pissed, and what about Sakura? How do you think she'll feel standing up at the altar in front of all of those people while I come out?"

Sasuke looked like he was about to hyperventilate, and the last of Naruto's patience snapped.

"At least I have a plan!" He exclaimed. "And if you don't want to hurt Sakura, you just need to tell her now."

"I'm trying!" Sasuke grabbed his phone and waved it in Naruto's face. "It's not my fault my father isn't answering any of his lines."

Naruto slapped the phone away before it could do any damage to his face. Sasuke's head snapped around to follow it's trajectory to the bedroom floor, before turning incredulous eyes back to Naruto.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You almost had my eye out waving that thing around."

Sasuke had the gall to snort. "It's a phone, it's not like it has sharp edges." He said.

Naruto decided that he had had enough of the attitude and the mood swings. He had had enough of walking on egg shells, and having every idea and suggestion he made dismissed while Sasuke happily continued to fuck them over. He punched Sasuke in the face.

Sasuke stared at him wide eyed for a moment. His eyes narrowed, giving Naruto enough time to brace himself, but not dodge the fist that came flying towards his face. Pain flared in his face, echoed in his gut as Sasuke jammed his knee in, rolling them off of the bed. Naruto managed to catch the second fist that came towards him, and caught Sasuke with his foot with enough force to make him recoil. He blocked another punch, and got a hit in on Sasuke's cheek before his lover was on him again. They were both naked, but Naruto was far too angry to be aroused; Sasuke jammed his knee in Naruto's crotch just to be sure.

They grappled for a while, both evenly matched. Hitting Sasuke had seemed a good idea at the time, but Naruto was quickly beginning to regret it. He managed to twist them around, and pin Sasuke's hips with his thighs, twisting both of Sasuke's arms around behind his back. Sasuke struggled, but Naruto watched wrestling on TV when he had free time over the weekends, and his improvised hold held.

"Why are you being so frustrating," Naruto hissed in Sasuke's ear.

"I'm frustrating? You're the one who just launched an unprovoked attack." Sasuke struggled again, almost catching Naruto on the chin with the back of his head.

"Unprovoked?" Naruto replied. "Have you any idea how you've been acting? I've tried everything to make life easier for you, to support you, but all you do is shoot my suggestions down. You said you would trust me, so trust me."

"I do trust you."

Naruto ignored him, fully engaged in rant mode. "You're always so negative, and it's totally draining. You don't want people to be upset, yet you don't take the obvious action to prevent it. I'm beginning to doubt your motives to be honest. It's not that you don't want to upset people; you just don't want them to be upset with you. God, you're so selfish." Sudden realisation dawned on Naruto as he felt the truth of his words. His grip on Sasuke loosened, but the other man didn't seem to notice as his dark head slumped, born down by the force of Naruto's words.

"That's why you don't like my plan," Naruto said. "It's because you'll have to stand up in front of everyone, and take the blame for wrecking the wedding. You really are an evil twat. And you try to justify yourself by saying you're caring. You only care about your own reputation."

Naruto felt Sasuke shudder. He spun in Naruto's lax grip to face him, his dark eyes glinting dangerously.

"I care about you," he said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. His anger had sublimated away, and the look in Sasuke's eyes had his stomach clenching in anticipation; he felt compelled to bait Sasuke.

"Really? That's why you're stringing me along? I seem to be the only one who you don't care about hurting, and that's because I'm the only one who really knows you. I know your flaws and weaknesses, I've seen beyond that little public façade you put on, and I still love you. And you seem to think that that gives you the right to treat me like shit." Ok, so maybe some of the anger was still there. Naruto waited, dying to see how Sasuke would come back at him.

"I...I..." Sasuke stuttered.

Naruto gave him a twisted smile. "You can't even deny it," he said softly.

Sasuke's eyes dropped down to the ground. Naruto watched as he took a few deep breaths; gathering the courage for a bit of honesty, he thought. When Sasuke raised his head, his eyes shone with emotion.

"You're right," he said softly, "I don't mean to hurt you, and I don't want to. I guess I can't help myself. I did tell you, I'm a horrible person, and you shouldn't love me; you should hate me. But the thing is, Naruto, even if you did that, even if you left me, I wouldn't let you go. I love you too much."

"Sasuke," Naruto said with a sigh, "I can put up with all of your normal crap. I'm sort of used to it. What I can't handle is all the emo shit."

"Emo shit? I'm not-"

"Yes you are. And it's exhausting; you're acting like a teenage girl, and that's totally not my type."

Sasuke scowled at him, and Naruto suppressed a grin; Sasuke could handle being called out on his evil twatishness, but call him a teenage girl, and he got all snitty. It was sort of adorable.

"You know if I have to stand up in the church and stop the wedding I can make it look like it's my fault, and you were only trying to do the right thing. I don't care what your dad thinks of me. But you can't keep on crying about him hating you, or Sakura being upset. The time to stop this wedding without that happening was months ago. Face it Sasuke, Sakura will be hurt and your dad will be pissed, even if you get through to him tomorrow."

"I know. It's just every time I think of it my chest gets all tight and it's hard to breath."

"Then don't think about it." Naruto grinned. "Think about something else. Think about me."

Sasuke shot him a tremulous smile, and reached out to cup his cheek. He pulled his hand away sharply, and his eyes widened with sudden fear. Belatedly Naruto was aware of wetness on the side of his face. Sasuke dove over him, switched on the bedside lamp, and grabbed some tissues. He knelt back down in front of Naruto, pressing the wad of tissues against his temple.

"Shit," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto winced at the pressure against his temple, and reached up to feel the dampness against his cheek. His fingers came back bloody. Obviously one of Sasuke's punches had opened up the cut on his head. Sasuke, Naruto noticed, had a darkening bruise above his left cheek bone, and a split lip. He glanced down to the wound on Sasuke's thigh, but thankfully that hadn't opened.

"I don't think it needs re-stitching," Sasuke said, "there's just a lot of blood."

Naruto watched as Sasuke removed the bloody tissue, and carefully inspected the wound. Smiling to himself, he cupped Sasuke's cheeks and pulled him down into a kiss. He tried to be gentle, aware of the cut on Sasuke's lip, but Sasuke kissed him back with a greedy ardour that had Naruto's heart pounding.

"I think we need to take this back to the bed," Naruto murmured against Sasuke's lips, gratified at the small shudder that went through his lover's body, and the moan that escaped his lips.

"I think you're right," Sasuke said softly, pressing into another kiss, his tongue probing its way sensuously into Naruto's mouth.

Naruto's bedroom door crashed open, and they sprang away from each other with a startled cry. Sasuke whipped the duvet off of the bed, wrapping it around his waist, leaving Naruto to face their intruder buck naked.

"Now there's something I haven't seen since you were potty trained," Kushina said, "put it away, cherub."

"Mum!" Naruto cried out, incensed at her sudden interruption. They had just got to the good bit of any fight; the kissing and making up, and Naruto's penis didn't really care about the last time Kushina had seen it; it wanted Sasuke.

Kushina rooted around in Naruto's wardrobe, pulling out two pairs of pyjama bottoms and throwing them at Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto put his on with a scowl; Sasuke clearly meant to keep the duvet wrapped around himself until she was gone.

"You know, chickpea, I'm not particularly happy to be up at 2am, either," Kushina said.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a startled glance; surely they hadn't been that loud.

"And when you invite people to stay, you could at least let me know so I can get rooms ready," Kushina continued.

"I haven't invited anyone-" Naruto began, completely confused.

Kushina raised an eyebrow and handed him a piece of paper. Naruto recognised it with a sinking feeling. One of the wedding invitations he and Sasuke had written out what seemed like a lifetime ago. At the bottom was a note in his handwriting: _feel free to come and crash whenever, we have plenty of room, just don't bring your dog._ Why the hell had he put that at the end? Probably because he didn't expect any of his university friends to come to the wedding, because he had been sure that the whole thing would have been cancelled by now.

"Well, at least you told him not to bring the dog," Sasuke said wryly, glancing at the invitation over Naruto's shoulder.

"Oh, he ignored that request," Kushina said. "He brought the dog, and his sister, her dog, and some of your other friends, too."

"Shit," Naruto groaned. Normally he would be happy to see his friends, but with them here as wedding guests, serving as a constant reminder to Sasuke, he just could not see this ending well.

"I'm going to get the guest rooms ready," Kushina said with a bright smile that Naruto knew was fake. "You two go and entertain our guests. I'll warn you now, the fat one looks hungry."

Sasuke dropped the duvet once she was gone, and slipped on the pyjama bottoms. He grabbed the matching top as well, putting it on forcefully. He strode passed Naruto, a scowl fixed firmly on his face. Naruto sighed as he followed him. Oh no, this was not going to go well.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: First of all, I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter! *begs forgiveness* I've been horribly busy, and it was a bit of a bitch to write.**

**I can't promise when I will upload next, but I will be working on this fic; there is no way I will drop it now, no matter how busy I get; hopefully it will be sooner rather than later *fingers crossed***

**Once again thanks to all the reviewers, I love reading your coments, and knowing that you are reading, and letting me know what you think really pushes me :D You're all fabulous ^^**

**Sooo, here's the very late chapter sixteen. Please let me know what you think ;)**

**incidentily, at the moment I think that I will be able to wrap this up in three, maybe four chapters after this one and an epilogue. A few chapter's back I thought that I would end it on chapter seventeen, so lets just see how it goes ^^**

**I still own nothing, and make absolutely no money from this fic, despite the hours it claims from me ^^**

Chapter Sixteen

_4th September – 1 Week and 5 days to the wedding_

Sasuke stalked down the corridor, aware of Naruto following behind him. For the moment he decided to ignore the presence of his lover; he felt raw on the inside, every nerve twisted until he felt like screaming. He was barely managing to keep going, do his job, eat, put one foot in front of the other. The whole world felt like it was crumbling around him, and Naruto was the only part that made any sort of sense. The absolute last thing he needed was Naruto's god awful University pals hanging around. He liked being with Naruto, being open about how he felt for him, even if it was restricted to the confines of the house. And now, even that was going to be taken away from him. He was well aware that he had acted like a bit of a shit on more than one occasion recently. Still, he didn't think he deserved this big a karmic punch to the face. His jaw still hurt from the very real one Naruto had hit him with earlier.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand, stopping his forward momentum. Sasuke turned to him with a scowl, and suppressed a groan as he realised that Naruto had neglected to put a top on, and the pyjama bottoms were very low slung. It was so unfair; if Sasuke had his choice, he would be exploring Naruto's toned stomach with his tongue right about now.

Naruto grinned, as if he could read where Sasuke's thoughts were going. "Don't you dare turn into an emo school girl again," he said.

Sasuke's scowl deepened; "keep calling me that and you'll have another fight on your hands," he snarled, snatching his hand away. He didn't know why Naruto insisted on the petty name calling, but it pissed him off. So what if he was a little bit upset by how out of control the whole situation had become; he was not acting like an emo anything.

Naruto laughed, and set off back down the corridor. Judging from the noise, Kushina had left the guests in the main entrance way. It was a grand bit of architecture that Kushina had never really known what to do with. In her normal eccentric way she used it in the same manner that a smaller household might utilise a porch. Never mind the grand staircase leading up from it, or the dining room that could be seen through the large arched doorway to the left. Muddy boots, coats, and general odds and ends cluttered the place up. Which was probably for the best, Sasuke thought, since his own mother would have a heart attack if she encountered two huge, smelly dogs in the entrance to the Uchiha mansion; but then she wouldn't use what looked like an antique vase as an umbrella stand, either. As it was, the mutts fitted in almost too well.

Sasuke paused at the top of the stairs, scowling down at Naruto's guests. He had figured on the presence of Kiba, his sister Hana, and their ridiculously huge dogs from what Kushina had said earlier. They had always been Naruto's friends rather than his; Kiba irritated the hell out of him, and his sister was frankly terrifying. They had made a name for themselves as the British version of the dog whisperer, although they no longer referred to themselves as such after the lawsuit. They made a ridiculous amount of money as dog trainers to the rich, famous and profoundly lazy. There had even been a TV show before the aforementioned lawsuit.

Sasuke wasn't particularly surprised to see Chouji, either. Obviously he was the fat one Kushina had mentioned. He had liked his food in University, and had clearly bulked out since then. Another one of Naruto's friends, Sasuke had tolerated him, mainly because as long as he was well fed he left Sasuke alone. Standing next to Chouji was Shikamaru, the only one who had the grace to look a bit embarrassed at barging into someone's house in the middle of the night without even bothering to call first.

Standing to one side, and regarding everything with a blank look in his dark eyes was Sai. Sasuke had never liked him; he had been pretty sure he was gay, and had his sights on Naruto in University. Looking at him now, pretty sure changed to definitely sure. The way his eyes lit up as they raked Naruto's bare torso had Sasuke plotting murder. Konohamaru, who hadn't been in University with them, but had hung around Naruto like a bad smell completed the line up.

Any irritation Naruto may have felt about this sudden invasion seemed to vanish as he charged down the stairs to greet his friends. Sasuke ground his teeth as Sai snuck in a very obvious grope as he hugged Naruto. He was very close to storming down there, grabbing Naruto and making it very clear who he belonged to. Except, all these people knew Sakura. Not well, but they knew her. Sasuke couldn't risk any more people finding out before he told his father everything. He settled for crossing his arms and scowling down at the group of friends. It took several minutes of hugging, handshaking and general catching up before Sasuke's presence was even noticed.

"Hey, it's the groom!" Kiba called out. "What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

Sudden panic flared in Sasuke's gut, emphasised as Naruto began to stammer through explanations that would end with him telling the truth. Sasuke moved faster than he thought he could, stamping on Naruto's foot before he could do any damage. Naruto howled and glared at him. Sasuke ignored him.

"It's a family tradition," he said.

Naruto's glare turned incredulous. Everyone else looked puzzled.

"I can't see Sakura before the wedding," Sasuke continued.

"I thought that was the night before the wedding," Shikamaru drawled, "unless you moved it forward?"

Sasuke almost vomited at that thought. "No," he said hurriedly, "for Uchiha it's three weeks before the wedding. It's a very serious tradition. Only couples who have followed it have remained happy. Grave misfortune fell on all who didn't"

Naruto let out a choking sound. Looks were exchanged and shoulders shrugged. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief as everyone appeared to accept his excuse.

"Yeah, there are lots of strange traditions surrounding Uchiha weddings," Naruto said. "In fact, I just need to consult with Sasuke about one now, in my position as best man." He grabbed Sasuke roughly by the arm and dragged him into the dining room.

"What the hell?" Naruto hissed.

Sasuke shook off his rough grasp. "Any one of them could let something slip to Sakura," he replied.

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why would they? They haven't spoken to her for years. I can't believe, after everything you've said, that you're still lying to our friends!"

"They're your friends, not mine and I can't risk it."

"So how are you going to explain away you sleeping in my bedroom? Another Uchiha family tradition? The groom must allow the best man to fuck him thoroughly twice a night?"

Sasuke blinked. He hadn't really thought about that. "I suppose I could pretend to sleep in another room," he began.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be pretending," Naruto replied.

"Naruto-"

"No!" Naruto cut him off, "I'm sick of this; sick of the lying, I want everyone to know that you're mine. I want to be able to touch you in front of people, to kiss you, without worrying. I want us to be together."

"I want that too. Please, Naruto, just a little bit longer; once I've spoken to my father you can tell the whole world." Sasuke risked cupping Naruto's cheek with his palm. Naruto didn't pull away, but he tolerated the caress rather than leaning into it. The sadness in his eyes made Sasuke want to cry, knowing that he had put it there made him feel like he'd swallowed needles.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Naruto let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'll play your game. Just don't expect me to put any real effort into it." A wicked smile appeared on his face, as if he had just had a particularly evil thought. "After all," he continued, "you may still be living in the closet, but I am most definitely out of it."

He strode past Sasuke back to his friends, leaving his lover feeling suddenly very nervous.

When Sasuke joined them, Naruto was sat on the stairs, surrounded by his friends laughing. Sasuke suddenly felt very left out. Naruto didn't pay any attention to Sasuke joining the group. Sasuke ground his teeth as he realised that Naruto's full attention was riveted on Sai, who was telling a very involved story about a foreign diplomat. Sai's delivery was deadpan, but Naruto and the others were howling with laughter. Sasuke supposed that he had missed a crucial part in the story, since he couldn't find anything remotely funny about bananas.

Sai placed a hand on Naruto's knee in a way that was far too familiar. Sasuke knew he was being punished when Naruto didn't push it away.

"You know," Sai said, "I am so glad you're out now. I was always worried that I was going to spill the beans."

Sasuke frowned. "You knew Naruto was gay?" he demanded.

"Naruto's gay?" Kiba exclaimed before Sai could reply. The dark haired man shot Sasuke a smile that didn't reach his eyes as Kiba continued. "Wow, never would have guessed. What about that girl you were dating? Is she single now?"

"Married," Naruto replied.

Kiba shook his head with a sigh. "I guess I'll just have to resign myself to seducing bridesmaids again. I mean, I know that traditionally the best man should be doing that, but since Naruto isn't into girls anymore I guess I will have to step in." He struck what Sasuke assumed was meant to be a heroic pose, which was spoiled by his monster dog licking his face. Sasuke suppressed a shudder; nothing was as disgusting as dog drool.

"Naruto was never into girls, trust me," Sai said with a smirk, his eyes not leaving Sasuke. A nasty suspicion settled in Sasuke's gut like a lump of ice.

"So, are we getting supper? I'm starving."

"Chouji, it's the middle of the night. I just want to sleep." Shikamaru said, lying back down on the stairs and staring up at the ceiling.

"My mum's sorting rooms out now," Naruto said. "We have food if you're hungry, but you'll need to make it yourself."

Chouji leapt to his feet, an impressive move for one so large. "Where's the kitchen?" He demanded.

"Through the dining room, second door on the left."

Chouji had left before Naruto had even finished talking. Sasuke took his vacated place next to Shikamaru, who appeared to have fallen asleep. Konohamaru and Kiba were shooting questions at Naruto that Sasuke didn't really hear. He was too focused on Sai's hand, gently stroking up and down Naruto's leg. Sai's eyes were trailing up and down Naruto's bare torso in a way that made Sasuke want to rip them out. Naruto was _his_. His fingers itched to grab Naruto, and pull him into a deep kiss, to show Sai that he should keep his bloody eyes and hands to himself. Sasuke forced himself to remain still. Just a few more days, and then the torment would be over. He hoped that he would wake up in the morning and discover that his father had just flown in. Maybe at that moment, as he was forced to watch Sai fondle his lover, his father was walking into the Uchiha mansion.

"I knew you two were sleeping together back in Uni," Hana declared suddenly.

Sasuke's head snapped around to stare at her. For a brief instant he thought that she had figured out about him and Naruto. Then with a sudden flare of rage he realised that she was looking beyond him, at Sai, his hand still lingering on Naruto's thigh.

"And I thought we were so discrete," Sai tittered, his dark eyes fixed on Sasuke.

Sasuke sprung to his feet, waking up Shikamaru. He knew if he remained there one second longer he would end up doing some serious violence, and would completely give himself away. "I'm going to bed," he said by way of explanation, turning his back on the fiend fingering his boyfriend, and storming up the stairs. He passed Kushina, on the way up. She shot him a curious look, but said nothing.

Sasuke let himself into Naruto's room, slamming the door behind him. His mind was conjuring up all sorts of images of Sai and Naruto together. Rationally he knew that Naruto had been no more of a virgin than he was when they started sleeping together; still he hated the thought of Naruto with someone else. It was a hundred times worse when he had a face to put to the phantom lover, when he could see the lips Naruto was kissing, the body that he was caressing. Jealousy tore at him like a rabid dog. Sasuke clenched his fists, wishing that he could pummel Sai into a bloody stain for ever touching Naruto. With a snarl of rage, Sasuke spun and punched the wall by the door as hard as he could. It didn't make him feel any better, just made his hand hurt a lot.

Sasuke stared down at his bloody knuckles. What made it worse, he decided, was the way Naruto allowed Sai to touch him. And that Sai could happily do it in public, while Sasuke couldn't. Sasuke let out a hissing breath between his teeth, and contemplated hitting the wall again. The door opened, halting any further violence to the wall. Naruto stepped into the room, eying Sasuke cautiously.

"You know Sai was just messing," he said, closing and locking the door behind him. "Also, before you start shouting, Hana is next door to us on the left, and Sai is in the room to the right."

"Of course he would want to be close," Sasuke snapped bitterly, trying to keep his voice low. "I bet he wants to try to sneak into your bed in the middle of the night."

Naruto rolled his eyes in a patronising manner that had rage spiking through Sasuke's veins. "I doubt it," he said.

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Fuck him! I saw the way he looked at you. That wasn't messing around."

"Naruto sighed, and sat down on the bed. He kept his eyes on the floor as he spoke. "That was a long time ago," he said.

"How many times?" Sasuke found himself asking.

Naruto raised his head sharply, his blue eyes piercing Sasuke. "Does it matter? It was a long time ago. I had just accepted the fact that I was gay, and he was someone to talk to-"

"You could have talked to me." Sasuke said softly, the hurt close to choking him. Naruto hadn't trusted him enough to talk to him back in University, but he had told Sai.

"I couldn't." Naruto said. "I was in love with you, and I thought you were straight. Besides, you never spoke to me about it, either. I knew Sai was gay, and he knew that I was in love with you. What I did with him was nothing even close to what I have with you."

"Was he your first?"

"For fucks sake, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why are you obsessing about this now? I thought you didn't want to know."

Sasuke braced his back against the door. "I don't _want_ to know. I have to know. I can't bear the thought of looking at him, and wondering, I would rather have the truth."

"Fine. Yes, he was the first guy I fucked. Are you happy now?"

"How can I possibly be happy knowing that the guy you lost your virginity to is in the room next door, and is eager for another ride? No, of course I'm not happy."

"Sasuke, I'm not going to fuck Sai. Even if he was lying on this bed, naked and tied up with a pink ribbon, I would still not fuck him. So what if I had sex with him in the past? I had to watch you pick up random blond guys in that club. It doesn't matter any more."

"It matters to me. I don't want him near you." Sasuke knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He could not stand to see Sai all over Naruto, knowing that Sai had felt Naruto's cock sinking deep into him. He knew from personal experience that Naruto was an amazing lover. Why wouldn't anyone want to have another chance with him?

"AndI don't want you engaged to Sakura. I'm not going to ignore my friend while he's staying at my house."

"You're letting them stay? They're here for a wedding that isn't going to happen."

Naruto leapt to his feet, shaking with rage. "But I can't tell them it isn't going to happen because you won't let me!" He exclaimed. "What do you expect me to do?" He advanced on Sasuke until they were nose to nose, Sasuke's back pressed against the door. "You're all take, take, take. I'm compromising for you, lying for you, and it still isn't enough."

Sasuke almost backed down and apologised, feeling the sheer frustration behind Naruto's rage. But then he closed his eyes briefly, and all he could see was Naruto and Sai, twined together.

"I need him gone," he hissed.

"Do you really think that I would cheat on you with him?"

Sasuke turned his head away, unable to bear the brightness of Naruto's gaze. "No," he said. "I trust you. It's him I don't trust."

Naruto cupped his cheek, and forced Sasuke to meet his eyes. "How can I get it through to you that it's only you I want? Do you really think I would put up with all the crap you throw at me if I was going to be seduced by an ex? I love you, Sasuke. Only you. I may have slept with other guys, but you're the only one I have ever loved. And none of them compare to you. None of them." He pressed his lips against Sasuke's in a soft, deep kiss.

"And," Naruto continued, his mouth still against Sasuke's, "Sai may have been my first, but there are plenty of things I've only ever done with you. You're the only one I've ever let anywhere near my ass. You're the only one I've made love to in this bed. You're the only one I've ever tied up and fucked unconscious. You're the only one I've ever said 'I love you' to. You're the only one I've ever loved." He punctuated each sentence with a kiss, each one deeper than the last, until Sasuke felt his knees go weak and his head spin. With his last words, Naruto pressed his body against Sasuke's, pinning him to the door.

Sasuke could feel his anger, jealousy and hurt fade away, replaced by the love he felt for Naruto. He suddenly felt that he could survive anything Sai, his Father or anyone else could throw at him, as long as he had Naruto.

"How do you do that?" He found himself murmuring.

"Do what?"

"Make everything feel right."

Naruto shot him his sunny smile, warming Sasuke through. "I guess I must be magic," he said.

Sasuke smiled back, powerless not to respond to the light Naruto generated.

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The worst thing about their uninvited visitors, Sasuke was forced to admit to himself, wasn't actually Sai. It was Kiba. Knowing that Sai and Naruto had been together ate at him, as did the fact that Sai took every opportunity to fondle Naruto. However, it paled against the pure irritating force of nature that was Kiba. The man had the attention span of a water flea, and he made Naruto seem calm and relaxed. He constantly needed to be entertained. At first, Sasuke had begged off of the various events he forced everyone to attend; the zoo, the water park, the museum. Sasuke hadn't known that there were so many local points of interest. He had used the excuse that he had to work, which was true. With his father still off in Germany, Sasuke had far more to do than normal in the way of making sure that everything ran smoothly. Especially since most of the board members were with his father in Germany.

However, four days into the visit, Sasuke realised that staying away may not necessarily be a good thing. He was leaving Sai and Naruto in situations where they could potentially be alone together. While he totally and completely trusted Naruto, he couldn't shake the feeling that Sai was an opportunistic bastard who would rape his boyfriend the first chance he got. Besides, he hated that Sai was spending more time with Naruto than he was. Kiba's outings generally lasted all day, and because Sasuke couldn't let anyone know he and Naruto were together, he was forced to hide in a small room Kushina had found for him until everyone was asleep then creep to Naruto's room for quiet sex and snuggling. He then had to wake up before Kiba took his stupid dog for its six o'clock walk, and sneak back into the tiny bedroom.

There was just over a week left until the wedding, and Sasuke was definitely beyond not happy. He was sleep deprived, and Naruto deprived, and likely to be killed by Sakura and his father when they found out that he couldn't go through with the wedding. The situation had become so surreal that he had decided not to worry about it anymore. He was resigned to the worst happening, and having to stop the bloody wedding right in the middle of the damn thing; he had been obsessing and worrying about it for so long that it was almost a relief to not care anymore. Apart from the nightmares that seemed to plague him every night, Sasuke had been relatively stress free in the first time in what seemed forever. If only Sai stopped hanging around Naruto, and Kiba dropped dead from rabies or something, life would almost be perfect. Or so Sasuke told himself, repeatedly as he sat in the dark, waiting for everyone to go to sleep. Some nights, he almost believed himself.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was gone midnight by the time Sasuke got into Naruto's room, and since Kiba had insisted on starting their last outing with breakfast from some fancy restaurant, it was the first time Sasuke had seen Naruto since half past five the previous morning. He shut the door behind him, and leaned against it, drinking in the sight of his lover. Naruto was sat on the bed, naked and beautiful, grinning brightly at Sasuke.

"I missed you," Sasuke said.

"I missed you too," Naruto replied. "You really should have come today, it was awesome. Kiba fed a killer whale, and Hinata adopted a seal."

Hinata and Juugo had been assimilated by the group, and had tagged along on most of the outings. Suigetsu and Karin had begun showing up at the Uzumaki mansion shortly before the invasion. At first, they had hung around Sasuke, supposedly helping him with his work, but in reality just providing a distraction, what with the chilly glares they had been directing at each other. Over the last couple of days, he had seen less and less of them. According to Naruto, they had decided to tag along as well. So much for an elite and loyal security team.

Sasuke quickly stripped off his clothes, and slid onto the bed next to Naruto, pushing him back, and kissing him deeply. He felt more than heard Naruto's moan as his tongue delved into his lover's mouth, desperate to taste him. It was crazy; he had spent his whole day existing, but it was only now that he felt truly alive.

"I want to come with you tomorrow," Sasuke said.

Naruto grinned up at him. "Really? That's great." He pulled Sasuke down for another kiss, his hands stroking down Sasuke's back to cup his ass. Sasuke shuddered and let out a moan as one of Naruto's fingers slipped between his cheeks to stroke against his hole.

"You know," Naruto continued, "Kiba has great plans for tomorrow. We're going to an old fashioned amusement complex. It has arcades, and shops, and rides. It even has a ghost train." He grinned, a sinful expression that went straight to Sasuke's cock. His finger continued to stroke against Sasuke's entrance, a gentle caress that made Sasuke ache for more.

"Do you remember your promise?" Naruto continued, his voice teasing.

Sasuke found it hard to think, what with Naruto's teasing finger, and the feeling of his engorged cock pressing against Sasuke's thigh. "Promise?" He asked. Something tickled the back of his mind, a conversation that they had had a while ago.

"Mmhm, you said that you'd blow me on a ghost train, 'cos you didn't want to do it on a rollercoaster, remember?" Naruto said.

Sasuke let out a soft groan as the memory returned.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Naruto said, "Especially since it's something I've never done before, not even with Sai."

He pushed the tip of his finger into Sasuke's ass; Sasuke bit his lip to keep in a moan. It was something that Naruto had taken to doing, thinking that he could get Sasuke to agree to all sorts of deviance by saying that it was something that he had never done with Sai. Sasuke felt that he would be more inclined to do it if Naruto had tried it with Sai first, just so there was nothing that was exclusively between Naruto and Sai. However, their brief fling had been pretty vanilla; they had met up, fucked a few times, before deciding to remain as friends. While Sasuke didn't trust Sai to have told the truth about the friends thing, he was gratified to know that the whole thing had been over fairly quickly.

Still, that didn't mean that Sasuke was going to agree, just because it was one more thing that was exclusively his and Naruto's. He agreed to most of Naruto's requests because he wanted to do them, too. And he had promised about the whole ghost train thing, regardless that he thought the idea was bloody stupid.

Sasuke grasped Naruto's head, glaring into his eyes. "Don't mention his name when you're in bed with me," he hissed, pressing his lips against Naruto's in a fierce kiss. The finger in his ass sunk in deeper, and he moaned against Naruto's mouth. He wished that they could let loose, and have really messy, loud sex. Loud enough that Sai would hear, and know that Sasuke was getting what he wanted. That would teach the bastard for being all over Naruto.

Naruto pulled his finger out of Sasuke's ass. Sasuke let out a small noise of protest at the loss. Naruto grinned at him, and pulled a tube of lube out from underneath his pillow.

"I was going to start with a bit of small talk," Naruto said, "asking you how your day went, that sort of thing, but you being all snarly and possessive is really hot."

Sasuke scowled at him, fighting the urge to smile. He was worried that if he encouraged Naruto, he would purposefully bait him to make him jealous. Naruto's hands slipped around to Sasuke's ass again, only this time the finger that penetrated him was slick with lube. Sasuke let out a soft moan as Naruto began moving his finger against his prostate. The pleasure made his dick aching and hard, and his ass long to be filled. Smirking down at his lover, Sasuke grabbed the abandoned lube, hissing as a second finger slid into him. He coated his hands and reached behind himself, grabbing Naruto's cock and stroking it with his slick palms. Naruto arched into Sasuke with a moan, his blue eyes darkening with desire.

It was more than Sasuke could take; he needed Naruto, and suddenly couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed Naruto's wrist and tugged his fingers out of his ass, swiped a bit of the excess lube in his hands across his entrance, and lined up Naruto's cock head with his ass, sliding down the shaft with a deep groan that he stifled with the back of his hand. Naruto's hands cupped his hips as his ass made contact with Narutoe He 's thighs.

Sasuke remained still for a moment, enjoying feeling so connected to Naruto. He gazed down into Naruto's eyes, seeing the love he felt reflected in them. He cupped Naruto's cheeks between his palms, leaning forward to kiss him. Naruto's hands ran up his back as the kiss deepened, tongues tangling together, lips caressing. Naruto raised his hips off the bed, shifting his cock inside Sasuke. Sasuke broke the kiss with a moan, and began moving, slowly fucking himself on Naruto's cock. He was at just the right angle for the head to brush against his prostate, the pleasure spreading through his groin, making his balls ache and his cock weep.

Naruto was moaning under him, his face flushed. His hands were all over Sasuke, but caressing, not controlling. Naruto allowed Sasuke to set the pace, and move as he wanted. With a groan, Sasuke grasped his own cock with one hand, stroking it in time with his thrusts. He reached behind with his other hand, cupping and fondling Naruto's balls. He knew that he wasn't going to last much longer; the pleasure was too intense. He found himself staring deep into Naruto's eyes, sinking into them. Everything he felt was reflected back in that gaze; the love, the lust the longing, the pleasure and the pain and everything in between. Naruto's soul was laid bare, wide open to him, and he knew that his was the same.

"I love you," they murmured in unison.

Sasuke gasped as the pleasure mounted, Naruto's head tipped back, and a deep groan rumbled in his throat. Sasuke slipped his hand lower, sunk his finger into Naruto's ass and rubbed against his prostate. They came together; Sasuke feeling Naruto's come in his ass as his own cock exploded, the pleasure coursing through him in waves. They were both gasping and moaning, Sasuke no longer caring how much noise he was or wasn't making. It didn't matter, nothing mattered except for Naruto.

He somehow managed to twist as he collapsed, boneless and wrung out, so he landed beside Naruto, instead of on top of him. Naruto turned to face him, twining their fingers together and kissing him deeply. Sasuke pressed himself against Naruto, not caring that they were both covered in cooling come.

"So, are you really coming with us tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke snorted. "I said I was," he replied.

Naruto grinned at him, running his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "Good. I've missed spending time with you. As good as the nights are, it's just not enough. You know, if we just let a few people know, you wouldn't even have to sneak out in the morning."

Sasuke groaned. "Please don't, Naruto." He said, not wanting the moment to be spoiled.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I know, I was just saying. I'm not going to have that fight with you again."

Sasuke placed his palm on Naruto's cheek, staring deep into his eyes. "One week," he said. "No matter what happens, even if my father disowns me, we'll be together. I promise you."

"I don't know why I let you drag me into your crazy world," Naruto said softly.

"Says the person who thinks ghost train sex is normal," Sasuke retorted with a snort.

Naruto giggled, pulling Sasuke in for a kiss. Sasuke let him; both of them pretending that they didn't have a care in the world.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke's inclusion in the outing was met with mixed reactions from Naruto's friends. Hinata, Juugo and his supposed body guards seemed genuinely pleased to see him. Shikamaru glanced at him with his normal indifference. Chouji was eating and therefore didn't notice him. Sai scowled. That sent a jolt of glee through Sasuke. Anything he could do to interfere with the bastard's attempts to woo Naruto was a good thing.

"I'm so glad you're coming with us, Sasuke," Kiba said. "It will be like a pre-Stag Party Party."

"Pre-Stag Party Party?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's not going to be a Stag Party, so there's nothing for it to be previous to."

Kiba gaped at him, before rounding on Naruto. "Come on," he exclaimed, "you've got to be kidding me. Every wedding needs a Stag Party, it's like the law. With, you know, strippers and booze and stuff. You're the best man; it's your responsibility to make it happen."

Sasuke suppressed a shudder at the thought. Naruto shrugged, and shot Kiba his normal sunny smile. "Well, Sasuke doesn't want one," he said. "It's probably another Uchiha tradition or something."

"Besides," Hana chipped in wryly, "what sort of strippers do you suppose a gay man would hire?"

Everyone laughed, and Kiba was suitably distracted by the remembrance that Naruto was still gay. Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering how he was going to survive the day.

Kushina had started to make them packed lunches, but had got bored after making five peanut butter sandwiches. These were fed to the dogs while Hana organised the cars. According to Naruto, she mixed people up so they could all get to know each other. Sasuke felt that she had missed her calling as a school teacher. Sasuke had managed to avoid driving since he had started staying with Naruto, so he was glad to be a passenger in Hinata's car. Naruto ignored Hana's instructions to travel with Shikamaru, and climbed in next to Sasuke. Hinata drove off, laughing, as Naruto poked his tongue out at the ranting woman.

"I'm glad you decided to come out with us, Sasuke," Hinata said. "We have a lot of fun." She had really blossomed from the shy girl Naruto had been using as a cover girlfriend, Sasuke realised. He hadn't really had a chance to speak to her since they had returned from Scotland, and it was nice to see how marriage agreed with her. She was practically glowing.

"How are things going with your father?" He found himself asking. In the seat next to Hinata Juugo winced.

Hinata glanced at Sasuke in the mirror, a wry expression on her face. "He gave me an ultimatum," she said. "Either I get the marriage annulled, or I can no longer call myself Hyuuga. Since I took Juugo's name when we married, I guess I had already accepted that." She shrugged. "He's named my little sister as his heir. I feel for her, he put way too much pressure on me, and he's going to do the same to her. I feel quite liberated, thinking about it." She smiled.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. For someone who had lost her family and inheritance, Hinata seemed pretty happy. In fact, she was far happier than she had ever been as her father's heir. Sasuke suddenly saw very clearly how being disowned wasn't the worst that could happen. Not when he had risked losing Naruto in that accident. He smiled at Naruto, determined to enjoy the day.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The amusement complex that Kiba had chosen was a dive. Even Naruto's normally optimistic smile faltered at the rusty sign which read "Happy Fun Lad." Apparently someone had found it hilarious to remove the 'N' from the sign, an event which had probably happened at least thirty years previous.

"I think Kiba might have run out of things to do," Juugo murmured wryly, "he's really scraping the bottom of the barrel compared to the other places we've been."

"It's probably because I've decided to come along," Sasuke said. "If I wasn't here the place would probably be awesome."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Quit it, Eeyore," he said. "So the place is a bit dated, we can still have fun."

"A bit dated? Naruto, it looks like the last time it was renovated was 1969." Sasuke scowled at the shaded interior of Happy Fun Land. He wondered if the place was even open to the public. Possibly it was some really random museum to fairgrounds of days gone by.

"Oh, it's a lot darker than it looked on the brochure," Kiba said, coming up behind them, flanked by the other invaders.

"Where did you find the brochure?" Hana asked, wrinkling her nose, "In grandad's old sock drawer?"

"The fact that it had a brochure and not a web site should have been the first clue that the place was a bit dated," Shikamaru said wryly.

"Well, it could still be some sort of weird time vortex or something," Kiba said. "Let's go and see!"

He charged ahead, Naruto and Konohamaru seemed to have been caught up in his enthusiasm and dashed straight after him, leaving the other's to follow at a more sedate pace.

"I bet you're so glad you decided to come today," Karin said to Sasuke as she walked past him.

"Ecstatic," Sasuke replied, wondering where Naruto had gone. It was like taking a bunch of children with ADHD out on a field trip. As soon as they had crossed the threshold, everyone had scattered. Happy Fun Land was essentially a large central plaza dotted with old fashioned fairground stalls and surrounded with crumbling brick buildings which housed either game arcades or restaurants. At the far end, an entrance way lead to what he assumed was the rides. Sasuke spun in a slow circle, trying to figure out where everyone had gone. He spied Chouji at a hot dog stand, Hinata and Juugo playing some sort of game that offered soft toys as prizes. A cobweb trailed from the ear of one bear to the corner of the stand. Konohamaru and Kiba were inside one of the arcades, playing some sort of shooting game. Everyone else seemed to have vanished. Including Naruto and Sai. Sasuke ground his teeth together, and set out to find them.

He started off in the arcade where Kiba and Konohamaru were, since Naruto had entered with them. As it was a week day, the place wasn't particularly crowded, although judging by the state of disrepair, this could well be as busy as it got. Sasuke wove his way through dusty old gaming machines, most of which looked like they'd been there since the 80's. The tinny music blaring from the speakers was similarly dated, and Sasuke wondered if they had plundered Naruto's CD collection. A familiar laugh, loud enough to pierce through the music snagged Sasuke's attention. He spun towards the sound, coming from the dingy back of the arcade.

He found Naruto, as feared, with Sai, playing pool at the back of the room. Sai saw him first, since Naruto was bent over the table, eyes focused on the balls, about to take a shot. Sai had the gall to smirk at Sasuke, before leaning over Naruto and grasping his cue in a very clearly staged attempt to 'help' him with the shot. Sasuke clenched his fists as Naruto carefully made the shot. He let out an exuberant yell as the ball sunk gracefully into the pocket, and spun around to hug Sai.

"That is the first time I have ever made a shot like that," he crowed.

Sasuke fought down the urge to whack Sai across the head with a pool cue. He had definitely been right to come if this sort of physical contact was normal.

"I've been looking for you," he said sharply.

Naruto released Sai and turned to Sasuke with a grin. "I wondered where you had gone," he said. I thought you were right behind me, then Sai said we should play pool and wait for you to find me, which you did."

Sai folded his arms and scowled at Sasuke. Sasuke scowled right back. Naruto shook his head with a sigh.

The tense moment was broken by Kiba appearing, Konohamaru hot on his heels. "Hey guys, you'll never guess what!" He exclaimed, ignoring, or just plain unaware of the hostility in the air.

"You found Elvis locked up in one of the back rooms?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, using the distraction to place himself between Naruto and Sai.

"Oooh that would be cool, but no." Kiba replied. "It's even better than that. They have those 5p machines. You know, the ones where you put in 5p, and there's a moving shelf, and it sometimes knocks a load of 5ps out. Well, they have ones full of old 5ps, the big ones, but it takes 10ps, and once you start getting the old 5ps out it's like you're playing for free."

He grinned into the stupefied silence.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, feeling a headache coming on. He grabbed Naruto by the wrist and dragged him away, leaving Sai to explain how money worked.

"No wonder dogs like him," Sasuke muttered, "he makes them look smart."

"Kiba's not stupid," Naruto insisted, "he just doesn't think things through." He pulled out of Sasuke's grip, stopping them just outside the arcade. "Besides, he wasn't the one getting all glary over a game of pool."

"Sai was obviously using it as an opportunity to press against you."

"He was just helping me. Besides, he's more of a bottom than you are."

Sasuke let out a hiss of rage, quickly glancing around to make sure that no one had heard. Naruto rolled his eyes, and began walking towards the fairground rides.

"And even if he did want to top me, do you really think I'd let him? I told you that that privilege is reserved for you."

"I just really don't like him touching you," Sasuke replied softly, keeping an eye out for any familiar faces.

They both jumped as Sasuke's phone started playing _The Boy is Mine. _Sasuke pulled it out of his pocket, raising an eyebrow at Naruto.

"I didn't think this was your sort of music," he said.

Naruto shrugged. "It seemed appropriate," he replied.

Sasuke glanced at the display with a groan. It was Sakura, again. Over the last few days she had taken to calling him several times a day. So far, Sasuke had avoided answering her, or listening to any of the messages she left. She was making the whole ignore the wedding thing he was trying very hard. He switched his phone to silent and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Has she been calling a lot?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged, "I haven't answered her," he said. "I really don't want to talk to her until after I've spoken to my father."

"Maybe she's realised that the whole Uchiha family tradition of not seeing her is a lie." Naruto said. "You never know, she may be so mad about that that she calls the wedding off."

"I doubt I'd be that lucky," Sasuke replied. "Let's go before your fan club catch up with us. I seem to recall a certain promise." He smirked at Naruto, gratified to see his lover grin in response. Naruto's idea was crazy, and judging by the state of the place potentially dangerous, but it would make for a good distraction. Sasuke planned to drown himself in Naruto until all thoughts of Sakura and Sai were completely purged from him.

The ghost train was tucked away behind a grubby tea cup ride. Sasuke eyed it dubiously. The front was painted to look like a haunted house, complete with cobwebs that looked suspiciously real. The four windows contained painted images of a witch, a ghost, a murderer with a knife poised to strike, and for some reason a very stereotyped Native American Indian.

"Why's he there?" Naruto wondered.

Sasuke shrugged, "maybe the guy who designed it was a xenophobe," he said.

On closer inspection, it seemed that the designers just hadn't really understood the concept of a ghost train; the guy selling the tickets was dressed like a cowboy.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Sasuke muttered as he sat in the train next to Naruto, who was grinning broadly. He thanked every god he could think of that they were the only ones on the ghost train.

As soon as the train made its shuddering way into the tunnel, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. He caught Sasuke's hand, and placed it against his erection.

"I can't believe you're turned on by a ghost train," Sasuke murmured, squeezing Naruto's cock.

"I'm turned on by you," Naruto replied.

Sasuke grinned, feeling his own cock stir at Naruto's words, and unzipped Naruto's jeans, freeing his engorged member. Naruto had neglected to wear underwear. Sasuke grasped Naruto's cock, and pumped it a few times, before lowering his head and taking the full length into his mouth. Naruto groaned low over the crackly track playing eerie music interspersed with cackling. Sasuke moaned softly at the taste of Naruto in his mouth. Despite the awkward setting, his own cock was starting to pay attention.

Sasuke sucked, hollowing his cheeks, and began moving his mouth up and down Naruto's length, swirling his tongue around the head, tasting the pre-come that leaked from it. He felt Naruto's hands tangle in his hair, his hips move slightly to sink his cock further down Sasuke's throat. Sasuke moaned again, his cock now hard and pressing against the confines of his jeans. He was considering taking it out and jerking off as he sucked Naruto, when a muttered curse and a painful tug on his hair had him raising his head.

His glare turned to puzzlement as he watched Naruto in a panic stuffing his cock back into his jeans, not an easy task when he was still rock hard. Light hitting his face had Sasuke belatedly realising the cause for Naruto's sudden panic.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. "I forgot it was a timed challenge."

Naruto glared at him, before letting out a snicker of laughter. "Hey, we're going again," Naruto called out to the cowboy, who shrugged in indifference, taking Naruto's money as they passed. Sasuke was ready to dive back into Naruto's lap, but the blond had other ideas. He stepped out of the rickety train, pulling Sasuke after him.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke hissed as Naruto dragged him behind a bubbling cauldron surrounded by poorly made mannequins dressed as witches.

"I really want to fuck you," Naruto murmured, regarding Sasuke with heated eyes.

"Here? What if someone sees us?"

Naruto grinned. "No one's going to see us. I bet we're the first people to ride this crappy ghost train all week."

"Yeah, so that cowboy's going to notice that we've gone," Sasuke said.

"He looked like he was about to fall asleep." But there was a flicker of doubt in Naruto's eyes. It was quickly chased away by lust tinged victory, as he pushed past Sasuke, and opened a door that had been partially obscured by cobwebs. Sasuke followed him in with a sigh.

Naruto's discovery turned out to be some sort of store room; it was lit by the same sickly green lighting that shone murkily through the main part of the ghost train. Naruto turned to Sasuke with a grin.

"Ooh, a coffin," he exclaimed, pulling a dummy vampire from said item and dumping it on the floor. "I always wanted to do it in one of these."

"Freak," Sasuke muttered, though his cock didn't agree.

"What? They look far too cosy for dead people," Naruto said. He caught Sasuke's hand and pulled him in to a deep kiss that quashed all of Sasuke's reservations.

Sasuke allowed himself to be pushed into the coffin, which wasn't as cosy as Naruto thought, though that may have been because it was a cheap prop. Naruto followed him, straddling his hips and pressing their lips together in another kiss. Sasuke kissed him back hungrily, wanting to take everything Naruto had to give, to posses and make Naruto all his. He tangled his fingers in Naruto's hair and arched his back, pressing their cocks together in a way that made them both moan.

Naruto's mouth moved down his throat, kissing and nibbling in a way that sent spears of pleasure straight to Sasuke's balls.

"We don't have any lube," Sasuke realised.

Naruto sat back on his heels, grinning. He reached into his pocket and produced a small tube. "I brought it, just in case," he said.

Sasuke pulled him down into another kiss with one hand, while he fumbled awkwardly with their clothing with the other. "Standing up would be best," he said, pulling away from the kiss with a gasp. "I know you want to do the whole coffin thing, but we may need to run."

"So romantic," Naruto snickered, standing up. Sasuke had managed to get his jeans undone, and the head of his cock peaked through the gap, wet and ready. Sasuke swallowed, his cock pulsing at the sight. He scrambled out of the coffin, undoing his own trousers. Naruto caught him by the waist, and spun him around to face a low table, strewn with various limbs. Sasuke bent over it, letting his jeans drop to his ankles. The fear of discovery had his heart pounding and his cock aching. He bit back a cry as Naruto jabbed two slick fingers into his ass, rubbing them against his prostate, before scissoring them, and squeezing lube directly into Sasuke's ass. Sasuke cried out at the coldness.

"Bastard," he hissed.

Naruto placed a kiss to the back of Sasuke's neck as he removed his fingers. Sasuke bit his lip, more than ready for the blunt cock head that replaced them. He bore back onto it with a groan, taking every inch deep within himself. Naruto's fingers gripped his hips as their balls touched, digging into his skin.

"Hard and fast, Naruto." Sasuke hissed,

"Bossy," Naruto murmured against the back of Sasuke's neck. His tongue flicked out, tracing the top of Sasuke's spine. For a long moment they remained still, then Sasuke felt Naruto's lips flick in a smile against his nape. Naruto's teeth scraped against his skin, causing a shiver of anticipation to roll through him. Then Naruto began to move, hard and fast as Sasuke had wanted.

Sasuke let out a gasp, gripping onto the table as Naruto fucked him, his cock pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in again, long deep strokes that seared Sasuke with pure pleasure. Their gasping breaths and the thwack of flesh meeting flesh echoed loudly in the small room. Sasuke raised himself on his hands, changing the angle so that each deep sweep of Naruto's cock pressed against his prostate. He turned his head slightly so he could see his lover. The sight had his cock leaking; Naruto's eyes were half lidded and fixed on him, his hair was sweat damp and clinging to his face. Under the green lighting he seemed to be some sort of fallen angel, beautiful and deadly.

Sasuke let his head drop down, and gave himself to the pleasure, letting out a cry each time Naruto's cock brushed his prostate. Naruto's mouth was on his neck again, biting and sucking, the sensation adding to the pleasure that was coursing through him.

Naruto's mouth left Sasuke's skin as he let out a gasp. With one last deep thrust, he came, filling Sasuke with his seed. Sasuke somehow managed to grasp his own cock. All it took was three strokes, and he was coming too, shooting obscenely over the limbs covering the table.

Sasuke dropped to his hands and knees, panting heavily. He winced as Naruto's cock slipped from his body. Naruto sat down next to him, fumbling with his jeans.

"So still a no for the rollercoaster?" He asked.

Sasuke regarded him through a fallen strand of ebony hair. "Here, I would worry about the thing collapsing on us," he said. He managed to tug his jeans up, and twist around so he was sitting next to Naruto. His ass still felt full, but in a pleasant way.

Naruto reached out, and pushed a tangle of dark hair off of Sasuke's forehead. He placed a soft kiss against Sasuke's lips. "Aren't you glad you came," he murmured.

"Mmm, I'm very glad," Sasuke replied, his voice heavy with innuendo. "Although satiated is more apt." Sasuke deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue deep into Naruto's mouth.

They waited for the train to come back around. This time, there were two children riding it, who eyed them suspiciously as they snuck out from behind the cauldron. Sasuke and Naruto ignored the kids, who turned their attention back to the ride. The cowboy gave them a curious glance, but didn't say anything. Sasuke just hoped that they very rarely used the spares in the small room, as they had nothing to clean up with, Naruto's foresight only going as far as to bring lube.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

That night, Sasuke slept soundly beside Naruto, contented. He was getting married in one week's time, and there were seventeen unopened voicemail messages from his fiancée on his phone. For the first time in what seemed like forever, no nightmares woke him; his dreams were full of the lover held tight by his side.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Not quite so hideously late update *does victory dance* I'm quite proud of myself since my laptop died last week and I was without one for a few days.**

**Once again big thanks go to all those who have read, favourited and reviewed. Especial thanks to all who took the time to write a review. It's nice to know that the story is still being followed and is interesting to you. ^^**

**I have started posting this on Adult Fan Fiction, but the story there is exactly the same as the story here; I haven't added extra smut or anything like that.**

**Getting close to the big day now :D Hope you all enjoy, as always, please let me know what you think ^^**

Chapter Seventeen

_15__th__ September – One Day to the Wedding_

Naruto carefully watched Sasuke out of the corner of his eye over breakfast. He was laughing with Hinata, apparently completely unconcerned that he was due to get married at noon the following day. While Naruto preferred the denial to the emo mood swings, he wasn't sure exactly how healthy it was. Secretly, he was waiting for the inevitable break down. As much as he would like Sasuke's complacent attitude to carry them through the wedding, it didn't seem likely to happen. Especially since Fugaku's plane was due in a bare hour before the ceremony began. There was not going to be enough time to speak to him prior; Naruto would have to stop the wedding himself. When he had come up with the plan a few weeks back it had seemed like a really good idea. Now faced with the prospect of actually doing it, Naruto wasn't so sure.

He had tried to speak to Sasuke about it, but Sasuke had fiendishly distracted him with a blow job. Mikoto had visited a few days back, and engaged in a violent row with her son, which Sasuke refused to talk about. It was getting frustrating; Naruto found himself missing emo-Sasuke. At least emo-Sasuke had talked about the wedding. Emo-Sasuke had obsessed over the wedding. Naruto would be glad when the whole thing was over and done with, and Sasuke went back to normal. He was still refusing to tell their friends about them, though Naruto was sure that Hana suspected something. And while they could probably have sex in front of Kiba and he still would be surprised when they announced themselves as a couple, Naruto had noticed a few questioning glances from the others.

Sai was another matter again; he had figured them out the moment he had arrived. Naruto hadn't said anything to Sasuke, since Sasuke wasn't rational where Sai was concerned, plus his jealous mode was hot. Sai had known that Naruto was in love with Sasuke for years; for a long time he had been the only one who knew. He flat out disapproved of the whole thing; he didn't believe that Sasuke was going to stop the wedding, and thought that Naruto was an idiot for going along with him. While Naruto supposed that from an outside perspective it could look like that, the fact was he trusted Sasuke, and knew that he loved him. Sai's response was to kick up the flirting.

Naruto smirked to himself; Sasuke's response had been, and still was, priceless. Sai found the whole thing hilarious, and thought that it served Sasuke right. Naruto was inclined to agree; he knew Sai would stop as soon as Sasuke became open about their relationship. So far, despite all provocation, Sasuke was still firmly and stubbornly closeted.

"Soooo," Kiba said loudly, breaking Naruto's train of thought, "big day tomorrow. We have to do something awesome tonight."

Naruto's eyes were still on Sasuke, so he saw him freeze at Kiba's words, his dark eyes turning glassy with sudden panic that was quickly stifled. Naruto sighed; tomorrow was going to be a nightmare. He wondered if they could get out of the wedding due to the groom being comatose.

"But Sasuke doesn't want a stag party," Hinata said.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "He's just being noble or whatever. Every guy wants a stag party. Strippers and booze. It's the ultimate male bonding experience, right Naruto?"

"I think you'll find Naruto's idea of male bonding is a bit different," Sai said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Sasuke shot him a killing glare that Sai shrugged off. Hinata's eyes locked with Naruto's in a mixture of sympathy and amusement.

"Pizza and DVDs are as far as I'm willing to go," Naruto said. "Sasuke wants to keep things quiet; he's not really into the whole male bonding thing."

Sai snickered. "I'll bet," he tittered.

Kiba shot Naruto a sulky look. "Will there be porn? At least say there will be porn."

Naruto's mind went to his substantial porn collection. From the look of horror on Sasuke's face, Naruto figured that his thoughts were going in a similar direction. "Probably not a good idea," he said.

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Since Kiba had been gearing up for an evening of testosterone filled debauchery, their daytime outing was a bit tame; a visit to the large park in the middle of the city. Both Kiba and Hana had brought their dogs along, and vanished at a run the moment they entered the park. Kushina and Minato had tagged along as well, a large picnic hamper slung between them. They set up base under one of the large trees that dotted the park; Kushina trying to tempt squirrels with peanuts, while Minato settled down for a nap. While it wasn't as hot as summertime, the September sun provided quite a bit of warmth.

Sasuke and Naruto snuck away from the main group for a private walk. "It's been years since I've been here," Naruto said; "it reminds me of when we were kids. Our mums would take us to the play area, and we'd play on the swings. I wonder if that pirate ship slide is still there?"

"Why did you agree to spend the evening with them?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Naruto glanced over at his lover. Sasuke was frowning down at the ground with a ferocity that suggested he was trying to ignite the fallen leaves.

"Because it would be weird not to," Naruto replied. "Kiba would just keep on hounding about the stupid Stag Party. At least this shut him up."

"I thought that we would spend the time together. I wanted to-"

"Fuck?" Naruto suggested. "Still will be plenty of time for that. Since you insist on standing up at that altar, I want you doing it filled with my come." So maybe Sasuke wasn't the only jealous one, but Naruto liked to think that at least he was honest about it.

"I was going to say plan," Sasuke replied. "I don't want to find myself married because we fucked up fucking up the wedding."

Naruto couldn't help himself; he let out a snort of laughter at that. "Sasuke, there is no way that I am letting you get married. In fact, if you do end up married to Sakura, then I am going to let Sai fuck me." He grinned, waiting for the explosion.

It was better than he expected. Sasuke pinned him against a tree with a snarl, his dark eyes shining dangerously. "I'll kill him if he tries," Sasuke hissed. "You're mine."

"So we're agreed; you don't marry Sakura, and I don't fuck Sai."

Sasuke's eyes were like smouldering coals as he regarded Naruto for a long moment. Naruto considered twisting out of Sasuke's hold, maybe pushing him back into the bushes and giving into the lust that was ignited by those dark eyes, but the laughter of children further up the path broke the moment. Sasuke released Naruto hurriedly, putting a bit of distance between them. Naruto sighed, though he supposed that it was for the best. Having sex where small children could stumble upon them was all sorts of wrong.

"God damn it, Naruto. You have to stop doing that," Sasuke said, continuing down the path.

Naruto caught up to him, arranging his most innocent expression on his face. "Doing what?" He asked.

"Using Sai to get me all riled up. You don't see me getting all cosy with the guy I lost my virginity to."

"Well how would I know? You haven't told me who that is." Unlike Sasuke, who hated the thought of Naruto having sex with anyone who wasn't him, Naruto found himself quite curious about Sasuke's previous partners. While he hadn't been particularly happy in the club when he had first found out about Sasuke and his parade of blonds, that was mainly because at the time Sasuke was sleeping with them and not him.

"And I'm not going to. You wouldn't like it."

While Naruto had been mildly curious before, Sasuke's words were like red rag to a bull. Now he _had _ to know. "How do you know I wouldn't like it? you should tell me and then I'll let you know if I like it or not."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Really not the time to get sidetracked by trivia," he said.

"Losing your virginity is not trivial," Naruto insisted. He knew he had slipped up when Sasuke paused and turned to him with a vindicated cry.

"So you admit that losing your virginity was a big deal, and therefore my dislike of Sai is not groundless."

"Sasuke, just tell me or I'm going to kiss Sai. With tongues."

"You are so juvenile," Sasuke exclaimed. "Fine. You remember back in school, where I had to take extra biology tutorials?"

"Yeah, I always wondered about that; you were way better at science than me, and I never got any extra tuition. Wait, you don't mean?" Naruto's eyes widened as the sudden realisation hit him. Sasuke was right; he didn't like it one bit. Sasuke's eyes dropped to the ground, and a flush stained his cheeks.

"Turns out they were special, extra-curricular biology lessons," Sasuke said. "He didn't force me or anything; I had been seeing you in a different way for a while, and I'd been having pretty hot dreams about you. He helped me to see what it was I wanted."

"Sasuke, you were thirteen," Naruto exclaimed, appalled. "I swear, if I ever see that paedo snake-eyed freak bastard again, I'll kill him."

"Now do you get how I feel about Sai?"

"That's completely different. Both Sai and I were consenting adults, neither of us were a teacher who should have known better sexually abusing a student." Naruto found himself shaking with rage at the thought of their biology teacher violating innocent little Sasuke. He had imagined Sasuke's virginity story to be similar to his own, or possibly one of the many club encounters. That he could have handled, possibly even found a bit hot. The reality was actually quite sickening.

"It wasn't abuse," Sasuke insisted, "he didn't hurt me, and always made sure I was enjoying it. Plus, he made me realise that it wasn't him I wanted, it was you."

"You know, that really doesn't make it any better," Naruto said. "I wish I had never asked."

"I told you you wouldn't like it," Sasuke said.

Naruto scowled at him. He was having some seriously unpleasant mental images, and Sasuke's smug 'I told you so' tone wasn't helping.

"Naruto, it happened a long time ago. I felt nothing for him," Sasuke said.

"That's not the problem!" Naruto exclaimed. "Imagine if I had slept with our PE teacher or something back when I was thirteen. It's ikky and gross."

"Yeah, our PE teacher was about sixty."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Clearly Sasuke had no idea why Naruto was so bothered about the whole thing. "Come on," he said, grasping Sasuke's hand, "let's go and find something to get my mind off the truly disturbing image of you and the biology teacher."

Sasuke glanced down at their joined hands for a long moment, and Naruto was sure that he would pull his hand away. Instead, he squeezed, and shot Naruto a smile. "You want to find the slide, don't you," he said.

Naruto grinned at him. "It's in the shape of a pirate ship; that's totally cool," he replied.

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By the time they arrived back at the Uzumaki mansion, and got settled into Naruto's large entertainment room, the sun was beginning to set. Naruto called the pizza place while Kiba, still a bit sulky from being deprived a stag night, riffled through his DVD collection.

"Make sure you pick something everyone can enjoy," Hana called out to her brother.

Kiba snorted. "That's impossible. Since we can't have porn, I'll just have to settle for excessively gory."

"Oh joy," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Naruto switched off the lights, and sat down next to Sasuke as Kiba slipped the disc into the player and took charge of the remote. Sai moved from his place next to Chouji, who had managed to commandeer all the popcorn, and settled himself next to Naruto. Naruto groaned inwardly as his ex and his current lover traded glares over his head. He hoped that everyone got bored of watching films really quickly, so he could drag Sasuke upstairs and ravish him. He was still having the occasional flash of disturbing teacher/Sasuke sex, and he really needed to banish it from his mind forever.

A hand on his dick brought his mind slamming back to the moment. _Surely Sai wouldn't go that far? Surely Sasuke wouldn't dare to grope me in public?_ Naruto glanced down, then up into Sai's grinning face, then across to Sasuke's dangerously flushed scowl. Sai gave him a squeeze before removing his hand. Thankfully, Naruto was far too freaked out to respond. That didn't stop Sasuke from glaring at him, as if the whole thing was his fault.

And that really pissed Naruto off. Sasuke had no right to blame him for Sai's messing around. If he wanted Sai to stop, all he had to do was be honest and admit that he was with Naruto. Instead, Sasuke turned his head towards the TV, pretending to watch the slasher film Kiba had picked, which Naruto knew for a fact he detested.

"Do we have to watch this shit?" Hana complained.

Kiba threw a cushion at her. "It's either this or porn," he replied.

"We're not watching porn," Naruto snapped. "Watching porn with your friends is just weird."

"I don't know, there are some friends I'd be happy to watch porn with," Sai said archly.

Naruto felt Sasuke tense beside him, but instead of snapping at Sai, he glared at Naruto again. That was about as much lying as Naruto could take. He jumped to his feet, grabbing Sasuke's wrist and dragging him up with him.

"I really need to talk about some important wedding stuff with Sasuke," he said.

Sasuke let out a squawk, and tugged against Naruto's grip, but Naruto was determined. He dragged a protesting Sasuke out of the room and down the hall to one of the small storage rooms.

"What the hell, Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed as Naruto slammed the door behind them.

"Why won't you say anything about us? Sai will stop if you tell him we're together."

Sasuke folded his arms and scowled at Naruto. "This again? They're going to find out soon enough, Naruto."

"So why not now? I doubt that any of them are going to call Sakura and tell her that you plan on dumping her at the altar."

"Because I don't want the fuss. All I want is to spend the evening with you. Tomorrow's going to be bad enough, I don't really want to do a preview performance now."

Naruto felt like tearing his hair out in sheer frustration. "Shit, Sasuke, they're not going to care!" He exclaimed. "They're OK with the whole gay thing. Half the people in the room know anyway, and I just want to openly be with you."

Sasuke wavered; Naruto could see it in his dark eyes. Then they hardened to flint. "No. I just want

this whole mess over with. They can find out tomorrow with everyone else."

"Why are you so stubborn? Is this some weird way of getting back at me for Sai groping me? Because I didn't encourage him."

"No, but you didn't stop him."

"I thought it was you! But obviously not, because you can't be honest in front of our friends."

Sasuke's eyes hardened further. "They aren't my friends. I don't want to spend the evening with them. I want to be with you."

"Yeah, well maybe you should show it a bit."

Naruto turned his back on Sasuke, intending to storm back into the entertainment room because he didn't want to have a pointless fight. Sasuke grabbed him as he placed his hand on the door handle and spun him around, slamming his back against the door and pressing against him, kissing him deeply. Naruto considered pushing Sasuke away to prove a point, but the feeling of his body pressed against him felt so right that he went with it, grabbing Sasuke's ass and pulling him closer, plundering his mouth with his tongue.

"I love you," Sasuke murmured pressing his forehead against Naruto's, "and I don't see why it should be anyone else's business. I'm going to make a spectacle of myself tomorrow, and make it very clear to everyone that the only one I want to be with is you. For now, can we just leave it?"

"I can't bear waiting any longer," Naruto replied. "Please, Sasuke."

their eyes locked together, blue and black, neither prepared to back down.

"Compromise," Sasuke said, "we ditch them and go to your room."

Naruto considered that. It was tempting; but by doing that, Sasuke was essentially getting exactly what he wanted. "You know," he said wryly, "normally compromises involve a bit of both sides. I'm going back to watch the movie. If you decide to be honest with our friends, maybe we can ditch them and go my room." He grinned at Sasuke's dismayed expression, opening the door and slipping out of the small storage room.

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While Naruto had been arguing with Sasuke, Kiba had also been busy. Naruto later heard from Hinata how it had happened.

The moment Naruto and Sasuke left the room, Kiba had stood up, a huge grin on his face and an unmarked DVD case in his hand. "I found his porn!" Kiba exclaimed gleefully. "Let's watch it."

"Moron," Hana had snorted, "Naruto is gay; he's going to have gay porn.

Kiba had ignored her, and begun to fiddle with the DVD player. "He used to be straight, he dated Hinata and everything. I bet he has a secret stash of lesbian porn."

Hinata had been too busy being flustered at the idea of watching porn of any orientation to point out that she had only been a cover girlfriend.

"I bet you twenty quid it's gay," Shikamaru drawled as Kiba slid the disc in.

"I bet you thirty it is," Sai chimed in.

"I don't think this is a very good idea," Konohamaru said as Kiba pressed the play button.

There was a long pause while the group took in the images on the screen.

"I told you it was gay."

"You owe us money, Kiba."

"Hey, isn't that Naruto?"

It was at this point that Naruto entered the room, to see the film that he and Sasuke had made a few weeks back being projected to the room full of their friends. No ones face had been shown, although other parts of their anatomy were on display in all their glory. Naruto froze, transfixed by the giant image of his cock slipping in and out of Sasuke. _Damn, that's hot_ he thought.

Sasuke, entering the room behind him was more on the ball. He executed an impressive rugby tackle on Kiba, knocking them both to the floor and wrestling the remote off of him, turning off the offending footage.

This, Naruto thought, would be a pretty damn good time to come out to their friends. Instead, Sasuke stood up, brushing a strand of hair out of his face, and glared around the room.

"Shit, Sasuke," Kiba groaned from the floor, "I take it you don't like gay porn."

"I don't," Sasuke lied. "Let's just watch your stupid murder film and wait for the pizza."

"No," Naruto said, the last thread holding his temper intact snapping,"I think Kiba is right; you need a proper stag night, Sasuke. One that will suit a gay porn hating heterosexual man like yourself. Right Kiba?"

Kiba struggled to his feet, looking like his birthday and Christmas had arrived at the same time. Sasuke was staring at Naruto with a numb look of horror that Naruto would have found funny if he hadn't been so pissed off.

"Come on," Naruto continued, "let's give Sasuke a stag night to remember."

"I'm not really dressed for going out," Karin said.

"None of us are, it doesn't matter. We're doing this for Sasuke." Naruto shot Sasuke a grin that was completely devoid of humour.

"What about the pizza?" Chouji said.

"We'll have it when we get in. This is Sasuke's special night."

Looks were exchanged and shoulders shrugged. Naruto grinned as the group got to their feet and began streaming out after Kiba, who was practically bouncing.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrist as he passed him and whispered in his ear; "You know what you need to do to stop this."

Sasuke shook his grasp off with a scowl. "You'll cave before me," he hissed back, storming out of the room.

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Fortunately for Naruto, Kiba had gone to some considerable effort to plan out possible venues for Sasuke's Stag Party. Naruto almost felt bad for him; if it hadn't been for the fact that Sasuke had his head so far up his own ass he could likely examine the contents of his own stomach the party would never have happened.

A quick round of rock-paper-scissors determined Hinata, Shikamaru and Hana as the designated drivers. Kiba grabbed Naruto and dragged him off to one side as everyone began piling into the cars, reeling off a list of venues, none of which Naruto had ever heard of, as a possible first stop.

"Kiba," Naruto stopped him before he went cross eyed, "You choose. As long as it's a straight bar, and plays rock music or something, I don't care. I'm more worried that my mum will find out what we're doing and want to come along."

"OK...I guess it will have to be The Dungeon. Place is full of hot Goth chicks." Kiba grinned and hopped into Hana's car. Naruto followed, slipping in next to Sasuke.

"You really want to spend tonight playing around in straight bars?" Sasuke murmured to him, his voice heavy with scorn.

"No. I want you to be honest." Naruto replied.

Sasuke spent the car journey silently fuming. Naruto ignored him, determined to play his plan through to the end. He thought that if this plan worked he would feel more comfortable about the wedding. He was determined; by this time tomorrow Sasuke would be his, and everyone would know about it.

Going by it's name, Naruto had imagined that the club would be a bit kinky. The Dungeon conjured up all sorts of images in his head, quite a few of which he and Sasuke would have to try out very soon. The reality was a bit of a disappointment. The club was located in the basement of a shop that apparently provided the wardrobe to the androgynous teens who populated the club. It was small, crowded, and the beer was overpriced and served in plastic glasses. And the music was abysmal. Naruto felt he knew rock; rock was guitar riffs and long hair. The music that the club played was noise; most of the vocals sounded like someone was throwing up. His only consolation was that Sasuke would loathe it a million times more than he did.

Naruto's plan, in essence, had been to put Sasuke in a situation where he would be forced to make out with him in front of everyone, and then go home and shag. With a place as intolerable as this, they would likely be home and naked within the hour. Naruto wouldn't even have to subject himself to the horror of strippers. He grinned at Kiba.

"Awesome place," he lied.

"Yeah, the music and the beer are shite, but the girls are hot."

Naruto glanced around the room, and wondered how Kiba managed to differentiate them from the men without stripping them. He glanced at their friends, who were all huddled together like a herd of sheep at a wolf convention.

"I wonder if alcohol will stop the pain in my ears," Suigetsu muttered, breaking away from the group to push his way to the bar. Naruto, hoping that this was the case, followed him, and on a moment of pure inspiration picked up a whiskey and coke for Sasuke. Sasuke eyed his drink dubiously before taking a sip. Naruto leaned against the wall, encountered something sticky, and decided not to touch anything in the place.

"Ready to be honest yet?" He asked Sasuke.

Sasuke snorted. "You're not going to force me into anything." He said. "I've put up with your music for years, this is nothing in comparison."

"This is complete crap!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke smirked, and wandered over to where Hinata and Karin were attempting to find a beat to dance to. Naruto scowled at his lover's back, belatedly realising that he had been played.

"Are we playing get at Sasuke? Because I'm really good at that one."

Naruto turned to find Sai sidling up behind him. He contemplated it for an instant, but Sasuke's earlier confession had really dampened Naruto's desire to use Sai to make Sasuke jealous.

"No, I just want him to be honest with everyone." Naruto replied, his eyes fixed on his lover.

Sai snorted. "To do that, he needs to be honest with himself." He replied. "I still think you could do way better. In fact, just let him marry Sakura. Get out while you still can."

Naruto let out a wry mutter of laughter under his breath. "You're years too late with your warning," he said. "Anyway, it's not about doing better; we just fit together. It's as simple as that. I love him, and he loves me."

"Fine. Well, remind me never to fall in love; it makes you crazy."

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They were in the club an hour before Naruto realised that Sasuke wasn't going to crumble. He kept on drinking the drinks that Naruto got for him, but the horny Sasuke that had appeared in Scotland failed to materialise. Naruto blamed the cheap whiskey they were serving.

Kiba and Konohamaru had found a group of probably girls, and were busy getting their tonsils examined. Sasuke was sticking close to Hana, Hinata and Karin, an inspired move that stopped him from getting hit on. Karin especially seemed to take great pleasure in being his fake girlfriend when the need arose. She had even doused one potential suitor with Hinata's coke. Naruto had used 'sorry, I'm gay,' with questionable success. Twice the response had been 'so am I.' Clearly it was time to step up the game if he wanted Sasuke to come clean to their friends.

Naruto extracted Kiba from the girl he was entangled with. "Strippers," he said in his ear.

The girl was instantly forgotten; Kiba's face lit up with such joy that Naruto wondered if this was the only way Kiba ever got to see a naked female.

The group was quickly herded up, Konohamaru dragged away from the girl he was groping, Chouji extracted from a dubious bowl of peanuts at the bar. Shikamaru had been found sat with a blonde girl with a ridiculous hairstyle comprising of four busy ponytails sticking out of her head.

"She was telling me about her brother's girlfriend," he explained as Naruto lead him away. The girl slipped something into Shikamaru's pocket as he left with a wink.

They walked the short distance to the strip club, Kiba practically bouncing with excitement. Since Hana, Hinata and Karin were straight girls, Naruto Sasuke and Sai gay men, and Shikamaru and Konohamaru clearly still fixated on the girls they had left in the club, his enthusiasm failed to spread through the group. Kiba didn't seem to mind, and as Sasuke still seemed fixed on making the whole thing a contest on who could out stubborn the other, and no one else cared to protest the change, it was possible that he didn't even notice.

The bouncer of the strip club Kiba had chosen raised an eyebrow as their group approached. Naruto glanced over them; while he didn't feel he was giving off gay vibes, Sai certainly was. Sasuke was giving off pissed off vibes, the girls looked like they felt out of place, Chouji had managed to pick up a kebab from somewhere, and Kiba looked like he was a pervert in training.

"Umm, Stag Party," Naruto said.

The bouncer waved them through with a roll of his eyes.

Naruto had expected the place to have a seedy feel; he had expected to see lecherous old men, sat in dark corners. He hadn't expected the place to be so sparkly.

A girl wearing a costume that seemed to be mostly feathers met them with a grin and guided them to a large table. The tables were arranged around a circular stage in the centre of the room with a pole in the middle of it. A girl was swinging around on the pole to the beat of the music that played in the background

"Hi, I'm Kin, welcome to The Snake Pit" The feather wearing girl said. "If any of you want a private dance, just call me." She winked.

A second woman dressed in a very skimpy police uniform appeared. Her hairstyle made her look like she was wearing a pineapple on her head. "I'm Anko," she said, "and I will also give private dances."

"How much for you two to get it on together?" Kiba asked.

Both women looked offended.

"We can gag him if you want," Shikamaru drawled.

"I think we should get Sasuke a dance," Naruto said quickly before they got thrown out.

Sasuke paled. "No, I'm fine," he said. "Kiba can have my dance."

"No way, Sasuke," Kiba exclaimed, "You're the groom. You have to have a lap dance. It's mandatory. Anyway, I've got plenty of money for my own dance."

Both strippers turned to Sasuke with feral grins at the thought of fresh meat. Naruto snickered inwardly at the look on Sasuke's face.

"Yeah, Sasuke," Naruto said, "unless you want to do that other thing, I think that Kiba is right. The lap dance is mandatory."

Sasuke gave him an eviscerating glare.

Naruto ignored him, and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, scooping out several twenties and handing them to the dancers.

"Give him your best," he said, "he's just shy is all."

the girls shared a look. "OK, we don't normally work together," Anko said, "but we can make an exception. The only rule is no touching."

"I think they set you up so you would pay more," Sai whispered in Naruto's ear as Anko and Kin descended on Sasuke.

"If it gets me what I want, I'd pay the same again," Naruto replied, his eyes on the look of terror on Sasuke's face as the strippers began to gyrate in front of him.

"I really hope for your sake that your trust in him is not misplaced," Sai said, leaning back in his seat to enjoy the show, although his eyes, like Naruto's, were fixed on Sasuke, and not the girls.

Kin and Anko danced with each other for a bit; Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, obviously glad that their attentions were on each other and not him. Kiba was practically drooling at the show, and the other guys were showing an interest, though none of them were as blatant as Kiba. The girls removed each other's tops, their hands ghosting over their breasts as they did so. Their was a bit more dancing before the skirts went, leaving both dancers in their underwear. Naruto wondered what the point was of stripping when they had so little to take off in the first place. Surely a few layers would make the whole process last a bit longer.

Now their attention turned back to Sasuke; they split, one either side of him, and began shimmying down his chair, affording him a face-full of cleavage on either side. The no touching rule didn't seem to apply to them; their hand's were everywhere, flicking Sasuke's hair, sliding up his thighs. Naruto couldn't have planned it better himself. There was no way that Sasuke would be able to stand much more of this without crumbling like a poorly made cake.

Kin removed her hands from Sasuke to remove her bra. It undid at the front, which Naruto thought was quite useful in her line of work. Kiba let out a soft moan, and Shikamaru, who was sat next to him shot him a disgusted look and scooted his chair away from him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, confronted by a pair of very large very exposed breasts, shot Naruto a wide eyed look of panic. Naruto knew that if the roles had been reversed, he would have just honked the girls boobs, grinned at Sasuke, and probably got them all kicked out. Just because he didn't find a naked woman attractive, it didn't mean he was scared of them. Sasuke was different. He was very obviously terrified.

"you know how to stop it," Naruto mouthed at him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Anko moved, putting herself between Naruto and Sasuke and cutting off their eye contact. Her hands went to her bra, also one that did up up the front; Naruto supposed it was standard issue or something, and Sasuke cracked.

He got to his feet and pushed his way passed the two practically naked women, and stalked towards Naruto, his eyes burning dangerously. Naruto swallowed a sudden lump that formed in his throat, incredibly turned on by that look.

Sasuke stopped in front of Naruto and glared down at him. "I hope you're happy," he hissed, grabbing Naruto's hair and pulling him into a kiss.

"Ecstatic," Naruto murmured against Sasuke's lips before giving in to the demanding kiss, opening his mouth and allowing Sasuke's tongue to ravish him.

Sasuke pulled away from the kiss and glared around the table. Kiba was the only one who seemed surprised. "I'm gay and in love with Naruto," Sasuke said. His eyes flicked to the strippers, who were watching everything with ill concealed interest. "I'm sorry girls, you're very talented, but it's not for me." He sat himself down on Naruto's knee, and glared down at him.

"See, that wasn't so hard," Naruto said.

Sasuke tisked at him, then dragged him down into another kiss, this one far sweeter.

"Wait...what?" Kiba said, clearly confused. "This is Sasuke's stag party; why is he making out with Naruto? What about the wedding?"

"We're going to stop it," Naruto said.

Shikamaru glanced at his watch. "Well, you have thirteen hours. Normally people don't cut it so fine."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. He felt particularly vindicated by everyone bar Kiba's complete lack of surprise. As he had repeatedly told Sasuke, no one thought it was a big deal that they were together. If anything, they were happy for them.

"I'm just glad you finally decided to tell us all about it," Hana said. "I was beginning to worry."

"Wait. You knew?" Sasuke asked.

Hana rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Every night I had to listen to you two. 'Mmm, Naruto harder! There! Yes, yes yes!'"

Sasuke flushed bright red. Naruto was quite impressed at Hana's accurate rendition of Sasuke's sex noises.

"Yeah," Sai chipped in, "I thought my dick was going to drop off with the amount of masturbation you two forced on me." He leered at Sasuke.

Naruto tightened his hands around Sasuke's waist as he lunged at Sai. "Naruto is mine," Sasuke hissed. "Keep your filthy hands off of him."

Sai rolled his eyes. "Please. Like anyone bar you could even think about holding onto him. He's been obsessed with you for years, and you've been too dull to realise it. All it is is listening to two hot guys having sex turns me on. I bet I'm not the only one." He shot a sly glance at Hana, who turned bright red.

"Anyway," she said, "what about the wedding? Does Sakura even know?"

Sasuke winced. "She doesn't know a thing," he said.

"So you're going to come out to your whole family on your wedding day and dump her at the altar? Bit harsh." Sai said.

"I know that!" Sasuke exclaimed, struggling against Naruto's grip again, "I don't need you to judge me."

"OK," Naruto said, "we really don't need to go into this now, just come to the wedding, it's going to be awesome." He turned his head to whisper in Sasuke's ear and almost got an elbow in his face. "Stop it, Sasuke," he whispered, "he's only doing it to wind you up."

Sasuke paused in his struggles, then turned to Naruto with a dangerous smile on his face.

"This is better than the soaps," Kin whispered loudly to Anko.

"This is better than the time the boss got arrested for sucking off that under age boy in the back room," Anko whispered back.

Naruto decided that he probably didn't want to ask. Besides, the look on Sasuke's face promised that things would soon get either really good, or really bad.

"You know," Anko said, "there are male strippers next door if that is more your thing."

Sasuke shook his head. "I want to go dancing," he said.

Naruto wondered if this was down to some convoluted plan to get at Sai, or because the whiskey had finally started to kick in. Since Sasuke had finally come out to their friends, Naruto would have been happy to just head home.

"Oooh, we get off in ten minutes, can we come too?" Kin asked, "I've always wanted to go to a gay bar."

"We're going to a gay bar?" Kiba asked, finally coming back to reality, or at least his version of it after Sasuke's announcement. "Cool, maybe I can pull a couple of lesbians."

"Kiba, lesbians aren't going to want to...you know what, I'm not even going to bother explaining. Learn for yourself." Hana said, grabbing her coat and getting to her feet.

Naruto shrugged, and placed a kiss on the side of Sasuke's neck before sliding him off of his lap and standing up. "The more the merrier, I guess," he said.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The club they went to was one that Naruto had frequented in the past to pick up guys when he felt the need, although obviously since he didn't have a death wish he wasn't going to tell Sasuke that. It was pretty crowded; the dance floor a sea of bodies gyrating together. Kiba vanished into the masses intent on his doomed quest. Naruto hoped that any women he encountered had a sense of humour and found the whole thing amusing, instead of being offended and hurting him.

Shikamaru slunk off to a dark corner, accompanied by Chouji, Juugo and Hinata.

"I liked the first place best," Konohamaru said with a sigh.

"I'll let you in on a secret," Naruto said, "over half the girls in here are straight. Good luck." He grabbed Sasuke's hand and lead him out onto the dance floor. "The only reason we're here is because you want Sai to see you draping yourself all over me, isn't it?" Naruto murmured into his ear.

"Pretty much," Sasuke said with a grin, wrapping his arms around Naruto's neck and pressing close to him. Naruto wondered how much Sasuke had had to drink in the first club.

"Well, since he's over there making out with some guy, I'd say that your plan failed. As I have said many times before, he's not interested in me any more, he was just playing with you."

"Good , 'cos he can't have you; you're all mine," Sasuke murmured, nipping at Naruto's neck. Naruto dug his fingers into Sasuke's ass cheeks, pulling him closer with a groan. He wondered if anyone would notice if they just left.

For some reason, and despite all of Naruto's plans to the contrary, it was hours later that the group returned to the Uzumaki mansion. Hana, Hinata and Shikamaru, the only sober ones, guided the group, which seemed bigger than when they had left, up the stairs. Sasuke hung back, his eyes lidded as if he was planning something. Naruto hung back with him, wondering what was going through Sasuke's mind. He had stopped drinking in the gay bar, but people had kept on handing Sasuke drinks and congratulating him. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto had been able to decide what they were congratulating him for, but Sasuke accepted every drink. At some point he had started passing them to Kiba, but Naruto knew that his lover was far from sober.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice soft, "grab a chair from the dining room and meet me upstairs in the bedroom." His lips lifted in a sultry smile that knocked the breath out of Naruto. He didn't have a clue what Sasuke was planning, but he was suddenly desperate to find out what it was.

He grabbed the first chair he found, and dragged it up the stairs. Judging from the noise coming from the entertainment room, movies and pizza was belatedly back on. Naruto hoped that Kiba had learned his lesson about going through Naruto's porn collection. He certainly wasn't going to go and check what they were watching, though. Not when he had Sasuke waiting for him. He humped the chair down the corridor and into his bedroom, hoping that Sasuke hadn't passed out while waiting for him.

He dropped the chair by the door as he pushed it shut behind him. Sasuke was stood with his back to him, bent over and rooting through one of Naruto's draws. Naruto took a moment to admire his tight ass. Sasuke turned to look at him, a predatory smile on his face that went straight to Naruto's cock.

"Sit down on the chair," Sasuke purred.

Naruto dropped down onto the chair, swallowing as Sasuke raised his hands. A pair of handcuffs dangled from each of his index fingers. Naruto remembered that a few weeks back he had gone a bit crazy on an online sex shop, and had brought a bunch of stuff that had arrived a few days after Kiba and the others. They had dumped it all into a draw to play with later. Apparently Sasuke had decided that later was now.

Sasuke approached him, his hips flicking in a sensual walk that was pure sex. "Now, I really liked the whole no touching rule, but I doubt that you would be able to stick to it," Sasuke said. He proceeded to attach both of Naruto's wrist to the chair via the handcuffs. Naruto had a bit of movement allowed by the few inches of chain, but it wasn't really enough to allow him to do anything. He looked up at Sasuke with a small smile, realising that he was completely at the mercy of his lover.

"What do you have planned?" He asked.

Sasuke smirked. Then he began dancing, moving his body slowly and sensuously, twisting his hips in a way that went straight to Naruto's cock. Naruto groaned as he realised what Sasuke was doing. Sasuke had been right, there was no way that he would have been able to keep to the no touching rule. Sasuke ran one hand up his chest slowly, while the other briefly cupped his dick. There was a substantial bulge there that suggested that Sasuke was as turned on as Naruto was. Naruto licked his lips as Sasuke slowly began popping the buttons of his shirt, revealing a tantalising glimpse of his creamy skin. Sasuke turned around, wriggling his ass provocatively as he slipped the shirt slowly off of his shoulders. Naruto longed to grab him, and lick a long line down his spine all the way down to the tantalising crease at the top of his ass.

Sasuke turned back around to face Naruto, his fingers pinching at his nipples. His face was flushed and his dark eyes dilated with passion. Naruto could feel his cock pressing against his jeans, begging for release. Sasuke bit his bottom lip and let out a soft moan as his fingers trailed down his chest, resting against the waistband of his jeans. He popped the button, and slipped his hand in, fondling his cock. Sasuke let out another moan, which Naruto echoed.

"Sasuke, untie me now," Naruto said, "I really, really need to-"

"No," Sasuke said with a small smile, "not yet." He pulled his hand out of his jeans, and slowly pulled down the zipper. Naruto would have given anything to bury his head in the dark hair at the base of Sasuke's cock, to take the length into his mouth and taste his lover. Sasuke smirked, and shimmied towards Naruto, his jeans barely clinging to his hips. Despite knowing that it was futile, Naruto reached for Sasuke. Sasuke ignored him, his fingers deftly undoing the buttons of Naruto's shirt. He slid the garment down to Naruto's elbows, effectively pinning his arms further. Naruto let out a groan of frustration as Sasuke leaned forward and flicked teasingly at his nipple with the tip of his tongue before backing away.

Sasuke wiggled his hips, and pushed his jeans down to his ankles, daintily stepping out of the pooled clothing. He wasn't wearing anything underneath. Naruto growled, his eyes drawn to Sasuke's hard cock. He was so desperate to taste it it was like he was an addict and Sasuke's cock his drug. Sasuke wrapped his hand around his cock and gave it a few lazy strokes before scooping up the bead of pre-come from it's tip and lapping it from his finger. His eyes were fixed on Naruto as he did this, teasing and hungry at the same time.

Naruto tugged against his restraints. "Sasuke, you tease," he gasped out.

"Oh Naruto, I've barely begun," Sasuke said. "I want you begging for me."

Naruto was seriously regretting letting Sasuke restrain him. His whole body thrummed with the need to throw Sasuke onto the bed and fuck him hard and fast. His cock ached with the need to be buried inside his lover. Naruto wondered how far begging would get him now, but another part was curious as to what Sasuke had planned for him.

Sasuke approached him again, placing a hand on the bulge in Naruto's jeans and squeezing lightly. Naruto let out a whimper. "Please," he said softly.

Sasuke smiled and quickly undid his jeans; Naruto let out a sigh as his cock was released from its confines. Sasuke's tongue slid out, and slowly flicked at the head, a tantalising touch that had Naruto moaning for more. Sasuke, the tease, didn't oblige him. Instead he stepped back again, turning around and giving Naruto a glimpse of his ass as he crawled onto the bed. At that point Naruto didn't know whether he wanted to fuck him or kill him. Sasuke turned to look at him, arousal shining in his eyes. Naruto wondered if this was revenge for forcing Sasuke to come out to their friends.

"Sasuke," he said, "what are you planning?"

Sasuke's look turned artfully innocent. "I just want to put on a show for you," he said, crawling across the bed to dive back into the draw. Naruto's mind made a sudden catalogue of all the items in that draw. Adding that to an inventively horny Sasuke almost made him come. Sasuke tucked his finds underneath a pillow, hiding them from Naruto. Naruto craned his neck, but it was no good. He couldn't see what Sasuke had hidden.

Sasuke rolled over onto his back, resting his heels on the bed and spreading his legs. Naruto groaned at the sight. Everything was on display; his cock, balls and ass, and Naruto could touch none of it. "I really want to fuck you," he said.

"Patience," Sasuke murmured, propping himself up on one elbow. His eyes met Naruto's, desire burning deep inside them. He grasped a tube of lube with his other hand, and squeezed a generous amount over his cock and balls, hissing as the cold substance touched his heated flesh. Naruto groaned as he watched the liquid flow down Sasuke's shaft and trickle over his balls on course for the tight hole nestled between his buttocks. Sasuke's eyes flashed at Naruto's reaction, and he grasped his slick shaft, stroking it with firm, fast movements. The flush on Sasuke's face deepened, and his lips parted, soft gasps escaping from them.

"What would you be doing to me if you were untied right now," Sasuke asked, releasing his cock to cup his balls. He squeezed them before trailing his hand lower.

"I would lick you all over, tasting every inch of your flesh. Then I would take your cock into my mouth and suck it while I fingered your ass until you came."

"Mmmm, that sounds like fun," Sasuke murmured, circling his hole with his index finger. He slid it into himself slowly, his head tipping back and a long low groan escaping his throat.

Naruto would have given anything to have his hand free so he could grasp his dick. The sight of Sasuke fingering his own ass was better than any porno he had ever seen. Sasuke fucked himself with one finger for a moment, before pulling it out of his ass and smearing some more lube on his hand. Two fingers penetrated him this time. Naruto knew from the twist of his wrist and the moan that escaped his throat that he was rubbing them against his prostate.

"Right now if my hands were free," Naruto said, "I would pull your fingers out of your ass and replace them with my tongue."

Sasuke slid a third finger in with a gasp. "Then what?" He asked, his voice breathy with lust.

"I'd bury my face deep in your ass and fuck you with my tongue. I'd eat your ass until you begged for my cock, but I wouldn't stop until you came."

"You can make me come just by tongue fucking me?"

"Untie me and I'll show you."

Sasuke's hand paused, and he regarded Naruto for a long moment. Naruto was torn; part of him wanted to leave Sasuke in control, desperate to see what new torture he could come up with, part of him just wanted to jump Sasuke and bury his cock deep inside him. That part knew very well that he wouldn't have the patience to live up to his boast that he could make Sasuke come just from his tongue in his ass.

"Maybe next time," Sasuke said, pulling his fingers out with a wet popping sound. Naruto's eyes were drawn to Sasuke's ass; his hole was stretched and practically begging to be filled with Naruto's cock.

Sasuke reached under the pillow, and pulled out a string of five beads of varying sizes. His eyes locked with Naruto's as he popped the first one past his rim, his finger following it in. Naruto groaned and tugged at the handcuffs as Sasuke repeated the action four more times. Then he reached under the pillow again, and pulled out a thick dildo. He sucked at it first, moaning as if the silicone was hot flesh.

"Sasuke," Naruto growled.

"You're jealous of a plastic cock?" Sasuke asked, coating the fake dick with lube.

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed. "I really want to fuck you, I want to slide into your tight ass and hammer into you until you scream."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You know what you need to do to stop this," he said, pressing the tip of the dildo against his hole. It slid into his slick channel easily, and Sasuke moaned as it filled him.

Naruto ground his teeth as Sasuke threw his earlier words back at him. He hadn't realised that it was possible to be this pissed off and turned on at the same time.

"Shit. Sasuke, please let me fuck you."

"That's how you beg? Tell me how much you want me." Sasuke's eyes slid closed, and a blissful expression crossed his face as he slowly began fucking himself with the dildo.

"Sasuke, I want you more than anything, I would do anything to be inside you right now, please let me in." Naruto was finding it hard to talk; the sight of Sasuke's stretched hole was making his balls ache painfully. He was half tempted to stand up and smash the chair against the wall and pounce on Sasuke, but his mother would kill him for breaking one of her antique chairs. Even then, that seemed like a small price to pay to be buried deep in Sasuke's hungry ass.

Sasuke slid off the bed, the dildo still rammed into his ass, and crawled across the floor towards Naruto. "Fuck," Naruto breathed. He didn't think he had ever seen anything as sexy, and he wished that they were filming it.

Sasuke opened his mouth, and took Naruto's cock deep into his throat, burying his nose in Naruto's pubes. The stimulation was too much, and Naruto came with a strangled cry. Sasuke remained where he was, letting Naruto pump his come deep into his throat. Naruto could feel him swallowing it around his sensitised cock, and he let out a whimper. Sasuke tongue began caressing Naruto's length, coaxing it back into turgidity. He reached behind himself with one hand, and began sliding the dildo in and out of his mouth. He moaned around Naruto's cock, and Naruto felt himself hardening as renewed arousal pumped through his veins.

"Oh god, Sasuke, I want you so bad," he moaned.

Sasuke pulled away from his cock, his eyes hazy with desire. He pulled the dildo from his ass with a gasp, and tossed it away before getting to his feet. Naruto expected to be released, but Sasuke didn't reach for a key. Instead he straddled the chair facing Naruto, bracing one foot on the floor and the other on the chair itself, which groaned in protest.

"Sasuke," Naruto began, worried by the sound and the age of the chair.

Sasuke lowered his head and kissed Naruto open mouthed, his tongue demanding entrance. Naruto melted into the kiss as Sasuke tangled his fingers in his hair. He reached out to grasp Sasuke, his hands jerking against his restraints. Sasuke continued to kiss him possessively, until breathing became an issue. He broke the kiss, both of them gasping for breath.

"I've been desperate to impale myself on your cock all night," Sasuke breathed.

"What are you waiting for," Naruto replied.

Sasuke stared into Naruto's eyes for a long moment, before reaching behind to grasp Naruto's cock and guide it into his eager hole. Naruto groaned as the tip of his cock breached Sasuke, the tight heat he had been longing for embracing his dick. Sasuke sank all the way down with a cry, tipping his head back.

Naruto groaned at the feeling of Sasuke all around him. The beads still in Sasuke's ass pressed against his cock, and he wondered what it must feel like for Sasuke, to be filled, and have the extra pressure against his walls.

Sasuke grasped the back of the chair in his hands and began to move, slowly sliding up and down Naruto's cock, his dark eyes locked with Naruto's blue ones. Naruto groaned at the pressure surrounding his cock. The beads were dragged up and down his length, adding extra stimulus. Sasuke began to move faster as the pleasure took them over. Naruto began arching his hips, slamming into Sasuke every time Sasuke slid back down his cock.

Sasuke pressed his forehead against Naruto, the most wonderful mewls and gasps escaping his throat as he rode Naruto's dick. They kissed, more tongues and teeth than lips as their pace sped up. A cracking noise was ignored by both Sasuke and Naruto, so caught up were they in the moment. The second crack was louder, and accompanied by a sudden tug of gravity as the chair collapsed under them. Naruto's buttocks met the floor and several sharp splinters of wood with a harsh thump. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he threw his head back with a scream as he came, Naruto's cock driven deep into him by the impact.

Naruto managed to free one of his arms from the wreckage of the chair, ignoring the lump of wood still attached to the handcuff. He caught Sasuke around the waist, and raised himself to his knees, still thrusting deep into Sasuke, chasing the orgasm that hovered just out of reach. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck, his nails digging into his flesh as he buried his head in Naruto's shoulder, muffling the cries that escaped him with every thrust.

Naruto didn't care that his mum was going to kill him for destroying her chair, didn't care that there were splinters of wood in his ass, didn't care that one of his wrists was still handcuffed to a sizeable portion of dead chair. All he cared about was the man in his arms, the feeling of being so intimately connected to him, and the pleasure that coursed through his whole body. Naruto came with a shout, shooting deep into Sasuke's ass.

They toppled boneless into the wreckage of the chair as Naruto lacked the strength to hold them upright. Naruto licked at the splatters of come on Sasuke's belly; Sasuke let out a throaty groan. He was still hard, Naruto noticed, and he wondered if he had the energy to suck Sasuke off before passing out. Then he noticed the string from the beads lodged in Sasuke's ass. He tugged them out, fast. Sasuke arched his back with a startled cry and came. Naruto managed to catch the last spurts on his tongue. He rested his head on Sasuke's stomach, purring as Sasuke's fingers stroked through his hair.

"We should move to the bed," Sasuke said eventually, his voice hoarse. Naruto hoped that the other's had been listening to loud movies; he didn't want to be subjected to Hana's impression of that sex session.

"We should." Naruto agreed. "I have splinters in my ass and I'm attached to two lumps of wood."

Sasuke snickered. "I can't believe we broke the chair," he said.

"I can," Naruto replied. "The thing was like a hundred years old. My mum is going to kill us for destroying her heirloom furniture."

"It's OK, I have a plan. We'll get up early in the morning and dump the remains of the chair in Sai's room. That way he'll get all of the blame."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because in his spare time Sai is a chair destroying maniac." He sat up, and began searching for the keys to the handcuffs. Sasuke remained where he was, though his head turned to track Naruto's movements.

"In the back pocket of my jeans," he said.

"Thanks." Naruto found the keys, and removed the handcuffs, dropping them onto the pile of dead chair. It was definitely something they would sort in the morning. He stripped off his clothing, and extracted the few splinters of wood that had managed to penetrate his jeans.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto turned to find him still laying on the floor. He scooped his lover up and deposited him on the bed, crawling in beside him and pulling the covers over them. Sasuke turned to him with a small smile, and brushed a hank of blond hair out of his eyes.

"It's going to be OK, isn't it? Tomorrow I mean? Even if every one hates me, we'll still be together."

Naruto caught his hand and tangled their fingers together. "No matter what happens tomorrow, we'll be together," Naruto said. "I love you more than anything, and I'm willing to let the whole world know. I'm not going to let anything keep us apart."

"I love you, Naruto," Sasuke said softly. "And I'm ready to let the whole world know, too."

Naruto pulled him into a slow, tender kiss. Sasuke pressed against him with a soft sound, and Naruto felt complete.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So close to the end now! There will be one more chapter after this one, plus an epliogue; I may give the epilogue a chapter lable so I have a round number, though. So, techinically two chapters to go after this one!**

**Thanks once again go to all the reviewers of Chapter Seventeen; I love the feedback, and I love that you're enjoying the story. I would never have got this far without your encouragement, so thank you. :3**

**Thanks also to those who have favourited or alerted this story, it means a lot to me to know that you're liking the story enough to follow the updates :3**

**And just a general thanks to all the readers; I hope that you like this story, and will continue to follow it to the end. :3**

**Here's Chapter Eighteen; I hope you enjoy it; please let me know what you think. ^^**

Chapter Eighteen

_16th September – Wedding Day_

A clattering noise woke Sasuke up. He groaned; his head felt like there were a dozen crabs living in there pinching at his brain. He rolled over, ignoring whatever had woken him up, snuggling against Naruto's sleeping warmth. A thump of something heavy hitting the bed had his eyes snapping open. Then someone began singing _I'm getting married in the morning_ loud and off key.

Sasuke sat up, planing murder as his head pounded in time with the singing. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Kiba kneeling on the bed, singing the chorus over and over again since he obviously didn't know all the words, and conducting himself with the discarded dildo from the night before. There was so much wrong with the whole picture that Sasuke didn't know where to begin. Next to him, Naruto rolled over with a sleepy grunt and eyed his irritating friend through a messy tangle of blond hair.

"Hey Kiba, you do know that was up Sasuke's ass last night, right?" Naruto said.

Kiba paused mid howl and looked at the offending toy in horror. Sasuke kicked at Naruto under the covers, feeling his face heat. Kiba spun and hurled the dildo across the room, wiping his hands on the duvet. At that moment Kushina entered the room, ducking the projectile fake dick. She cocked her head to one side, giving them all a quizzical look. Sasuke buried his head in his hands with a groan.

"Chickpea," she said, in a voice so sweet that Sasuke knew it covered venom, "why are there a pair of strippers sleeping in my dining room? Also, one of my chairs appears to be missing."

"Crap," Naruto groaned.

Sasuke tried not to let his eyes drift to the incriminating splinters on the floor. It had been such a good idea at the time, but in the cold light of day he wondered what horny demon had possessed him to tie Naruto to an antique chair and straddle him. Great sex aside, it had been a stupid plan, and probably the reason for the slight throbbing feeling in his ass.

Kiba, for a wonder managing to sense the mood, slipped off the bed. "I should go," he said.

His foot knocked against one of the handcuffs, which clanked against the wreckage of the chair. Four pairs of eyes dropped down to the floor. Two brows wrinkled in confusion; two pairs of eyes locked in twined dread. Kushina bent down and hooked up the handcuff. Her eyes flicked to the dildo lying by the wall, and her eyebrows climbed into her hairline.

Naruto, in an act of desperation, went on the defensive. "See why you shouldn't just barge into my room, mum," he said.

Kushina's eyes dropped to the dead chair again and she frowned. "Wait. Is that my chair?"

Kiba began edging towards the door. Sasuke considered following him; he did not want to face Kushina pissed off.

Kushina turned the full force of her scowl at Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke felt Naruto grab his arm as his mother's eyes snapped at them. She shook the lump of wood at them, the chain of the handcuff rattling.

"I can handle you leaving me behind while you go out and have fun," she said, "I can even put up with all the random people turning up and eating all our food. But you broke my chair; it was an antique, they don't make them any more. Now I'm going to have to get a whole new dining room set because I won't be able to get something to match, and furniture shopping is a pain in the ass. I hope you're happy."

"We're sorry," Naruto said, his voice subdued.

Next to him, Sasuke nodded mutely in agreement, fascinated. If it had been his own mother, she would have been more concerned that they had destroyed an antique.

"You know," he said slowly, hoping that he was doing the right thing to appease her, "we could do the shopping for you."

Kushina's scowl dissolved into a brilliant grin. "With an attitude like that, I could almost grow to like you," she said. "Even with you making my baby boy have to suffer through today."

Sasuke felt that he would be suffering far more than Naruto, but he was wise enough not to say anything. Beside him, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Over by the door, Kiba was watching the drama unfold with wide eyes.

"You know, Ikea have a new range in," Kushina said. "Maybe you two could pop down there tomorrow."

"You want to replace your antique dining room furniture with something from Ikea?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. Kushina's eyebrows raised, daring him to make any further comment. Sasuke sighed. "Fine, we'll go tomorrow." He would have been quite happy to go today; he wondered if replacing furniture broken during wild drunken sex was a good enough excuse to not go to your own wedding. Probably not.

From over by the door Kiba snickered. "I can't believe Sasuke let you handcuff him to a chair," he said.

"Uhh, yeah. Let's not talk about that," Naruto said shooting Sasuke a guilty look. Sasuke rolled his eyes; Kiba could assume whatever he damn well liked, he wasn't about to go into the details of his sex life with the irritating wanker.

Naruto's eyes flicked to the two invaders. "Why are you in here, anyway?" He asked.

"I thought it would be funny to wake you two up," Kiba said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that was hilarious. Mum?"

"Oh! Mikoto is having a big family pre-wedding breakfast at eight, and she will personally come and kill us all if we're not there. Her exact words, by the way."

Sasuke bit his lip. His last conversation with his mother had not gone well. She had demanded that he make a choice, and damn well stick with it. Sasuke had told her that he had made a choice; Naruto, and she had slapped him. He could still hear her words, echoing in his head; "_You can't say you chose him, and still be engaged to Sakura; it doesn't work like that. Let the poor girl down if that's the case. Until you are no longer attached to her in anyway, you haven't made your choice. You're stringing them both along, and I didn't raise you to be that way. Someone is going to be hurt by this, so do it now before it's two late. I'll support you whatever choice you make, but I can't support you while you're doing this."_

All of his reasoning had fallen on deaf ears. She was harder to reason with than Naruto. Quite likely she would kill him for turning up at the breakfast.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"Just after six. Since I wasn't invited out last night, I had a fabulous nights sleep." Her smug tone was spoiled by the tongue she poked out at them.

Kiba shrugged. "I haven't been to sleep yet," he said. "It's the best way. I'll sleep all day tomorrow instead."

"Which I take it means you won't be leaving until the day after," Kushina said.

"Well, since I'm planning on banging a bridesmaid, I figure I should hang around long enough to do her at least twice," Kiba said with a leer.

Kushina looked just about as disgusted as Sasuke felt. "How romantic of you," She said. "If you stick around long enough, I will have to give you my lecture on misogyny. I have slides."

Next to Sasuke, Naruto shuddered.

"OK," Sasuke said, "entertaining as this is, we need to get showered and dressed." He was just about up to the point where he was considering rising from the bed naked and ejecting them from the room. His head ached, his stomach roiled with dread for the coming day, and as distracting as Kushina and Kiba were, he wanted some alone time with Naruto.

"I need to do the rounds, anyway." Kushina said. "We may as well all go to the breakfast. I don't think I have enough food in the house to feed an anorexic mouse at the moment. The tubby one managed to get into the pantry in the night. I believe a plague of locusts would have left more behind."

She stepped out of the door, and almost walked into a brown haired man coming out of Sai's room. Sasuke's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he craned his neck to see the guy Sai had picked up last night. He caught a glimpse of dark eyes, and a bizarre smudge of purple make-up as the man apologised to Kushina. Sai appeared, wearing not a lot, and paused to smirk through the doorway at Sasuke, before giving the dark haired man a long, lingering kiss. Sasuke hastily averted his eyes; Sai had a lot of bruises on his body that looked like bites.

"Told you he wasn't after me," Naruto murmured in his ear. Sasuke snorted softly.

"Strange the people you meet," Sai said, "Kankuro has a wedding to go to today, too. We're going to meet up later." He beamed, before sashaying back to his room.

Kushina was watching his retreating lover with a small frown. "I'm sure I've seen him somewhere before," she muttered.

Kiba shrugged and shut the door behind him, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone at last. Sasuke flopped back down on the bed with a groan. "I wish today was over," he said.

"Well, your dad may get in early and be at the breakfast," Naruto said. "We could get the whole confrontation thing out of the way early, and chill for the rest of the day."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. There was no way he would get that lucky. "Aren't you worried at all about today?" Sasuke asked. He had a bad case of butterflies; or possibly fruit bats in his belly, and they weren't helping with the alcohol induced nausea.

Naruto propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Sasuke, a small frown pinching his brows. "You know, I was. Even last night I was seriously worried about the whole day, but now I'm mainly just focusing on the after part. You know, the bit with you and me together forever. Try it, it really calms the nerves."

He smiled his sunshine grin, and Sasuke found himself feeling a little bit better. Naruto leaned over and kissed him, his mouth hot. Sasuke moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Naruto and holding him close.

"We need to shower," Naruto said softly, his tone tinged with regret.

Sasuke sighed, but agreed; a night of drinking followed by wild sex had left them both a bit ripe. He struggled upright, wincing at the slight ache in his ass. He allowed Naruto to half pull half carry him out of the bed and onto his feet. Naruto giggled as Sasuke cradled his head in his hands with a groan. He wondered how the blond bastard managed to never get hung over; it just wasn't fair.

"Are you going to up-chuck?" Naruto asked.

"Up-chuck? I don't think so. I just need an ibuprofen and some coffee," Sasuke replied.

"Well, I have Ibuprofen in the bathroom. Coffee will have to wait. Ooh, do you think I should get a coffee maker up here?"

Sasuke stumbled into the bathroom, ignoring Naruto's babble. Naruto's en-suite was smaller than Sasuke's, but the shower was far bigger, taking up pretty much the whole room, leaving the toilet and sink squashed into one corner. There was a small cabinet above the sink, and Naruto grabbed a packet of ibuprofen from it, tossing it towards Sasuke. Sasuke fumbled, and almost dropped the box. Naruto laughed again, and Sasuke scowled at him, popping two pills into his mouth and swallowing them down before turning on the shower.

The hot water revived him a little, though it did nothing to halt the apprehension for the day ahead. Naruto stepped into the shower beside him, and the kiss he placed on the side of Sasuke's neck did what the water couldn't. Sasuke turned, wanting to taste Naruto's lips, but his lover caught his hips and held him so his back was pressed against Naruto's chest. The feeling of Naruto's wet flesh against his had Sasuke's shaft hardening. A soft groan escaped his lips.

Naruto let out a snicker, then began lathering Sasuke's hair with shampoo, his finger's sensuously massaging Sasuke's scalp. His tongue flicked at Sasuke's earlobe while his fingers worked in his hair, wrapping around it and sucking it into his mouth.

"All mine," Naruto purred. Sasuke could feel his hardening cock pressing against his ass, and suddenly the pain from the night before didn't seem like such a deterrent for going another quick round before breakfast. Naruto tugged him under the spray to rinse his hair, his mouth trailing down Sasuke's throat. Sasuke was sure he was at risk of getting shampoo in his eyes, but that didn't deter Naruto. Sasuke managed to turn in Naruto's arms, and pluck the shampoo bottle out of his hands to return the favour. Naruto meanwhile took a hold of the shower gel, and began rubbing it over Sasuke's body.

Sasuke gasped and almost poked Naruto in the eye as a slicked finger slid into his ass. Naruto grinned at him.

"Just making sure you're clean," Naruto said.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a cool expression, despite Naruto's questing finger finding exactly what it had been looking for. "I thought you wanted me standing at the altar full of your come," he said.

Naruto snorted. "I did say that, didn't I," he said pressing closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke stared into his blue eyes. As always, he could feel himself getting lost in their depths; he surrendered to the sensation with a soft sigh.

"I love you, Naruto," he said. "And I'm sorry."

Naruto frowned at him. "What for?" He asked.

"For making you go through with today. I've been really stupid and stubborn."

Naruto smirked. He had shampoo bubbled dripping down his face, and his hair was a damp tangle; he was the most beautiful thing Sasuke had ever seen. "Yeah, you have." Naruto said, his smirk transforming into a heart melting smile, "but I love you, even stubborn stupid you, so it's all good." He hooked the finger still lodged inside Sasuke, pressing against his prostate and making him gasp. His other hand was on Sasuke's hip, and he used it to drag Sasuke into a deep kiss.

"God, Sasuke," Naruto murmured against his mouth, "I want every one to know we're together, I want them to see us, and just know. I'm not complete without you."

"I know," Sasuke replied. The kiss deepened, tinged with desperation. Because up until the point where they actually stopped the wedding, they would still be hiding. All through breakfast; hiding. Waiting in the church; hiding. And Sasuke realised that he hated the thought as much as Naruto did. What would it matter, a sly thought rose, if he just appeared at breakfast hand in hand with Naruto. His father wouldn't be there, Sakura wouldn't be there. Just his whole family. Panic gripped Sasuke so tight he thought he was going to choke, and he broke away from the kiss, gasping for breath.

"Shit, shit, shit," he groaned, "why are we doing this now?"

Naruto's hands rested on Sasuke's shoulders, holding him up. His eyes were filled with concern. "Sex?" he asked, confused.

Sasuke sank to the floor of the shower in a miserable heap. "No, I mean this whole wedding fiasco. Why didn't I tell Sakura? I'm going to humiliate her in front of all her family and friends, and all the sycophants my father has invited to this pretentious piece of crap."

Naruto sat down beside him with a sigh. Sasuke allowed him to pull his head to rest on his shoulder. The fall of the water was somehow soothing, running down his spine.

"Now you realise this," Naruto said.

"Well, sorry for being so slow," Sasuke snapped bitterly. "I have to tell her first, before the wedding. She'll be hurt, but at least it will be private. I can confront my father after."

"So the plan is?"

Sasuke bit his lip, trying desperately to think himself out of the mess he had made. "We still go to breakfast," he said. "Keep my mum happy. Then once we're at Cobalt Hall, I can find Sakura and tell her." The venue Sakura had chosen was an interesting one; the church next door to it would hold the ceremony itself, with the reception taking place in the hall after. The hall had a full floor of rooms above it, including the bridal suite. The bride's room was connected to the bridesmaids', so getting Sakura alone might be a bit tricky. Although judging by the amount of missed calls from her maybe not. Sasuke realised that he didn't even know who the bridesmaids were; he wondered how much lying to herself Sakura must have done to convince herself that this farce of a wedding was viable, and felt more of a bastard than ever.

"As simple as that," Naruto murmured.

"I can't believe what I mess this whole thing has become," Sasuke said. "I just wanted my Father to be proud of me, to know that the family was in good hands, but all I've done is hurt people."

Naruto wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, making soft shushing noises as if he were petting a cat. Sasuke realised that he was crying, and felt even more of a fool.

"Look," Naruto said, "You want to make things right; you've found the courage to strand up and be who you are. If your dad isn't proud of you for that, then he doesn't deserve you."

He stood up long enough to turn off the water and grab a towel, which he wrapped around Sasuke and carried him out of the bathroom and back to the bed. He sprawled out next to Sasuke on the bed, still damp and with suds in his hair. He took Sasuke in his arms and kissed him, bodies pressed together, sharing one breath. Sasuke tangled himself with Naruto, longing to get closer to him. Naruto's kisses chased away his doubts, and his guilt. Naruto's caresses made him feel whole again. Naruto completed him.

Sasuke allowed himself to be rolled onto his back. He wrapped his legs around Naruto's waist, and arched his spine, pressing his hole against Naruto's cock. It slid easily into him, the penetration surprisingly painless. Naruto groaned against Sasuke's mouth, but kept his movements slow and easy, making love sweetly, like they had all the time in the world.

Sasuke moved with Naruto, their bodies in sync. They didn't speak; they didn't need to, the words were branded in their souls. Sasuke felt Naruto's love as if it were his own, and he knew Naruto felt the same way. He knew that he would do whatever he must to ensure that they kept this feeling between them whole and satiated. He had to be with Naruto; he had to be. The idea of not being with him was incomprehensible, a bizarre concept that had Sasuke's heart squeezing at the thought of it. Living without Naruto would be like living without light, without sound, without taste or touch.

Sasuke gasped as the sweetest orgasm he had ever experienced washed over him. He clung to Naruto as he came long and hard, feeling Naruto's cock jerk inside him, and his hot seed fill him.

"Fuck," Naruto groaned against Sasuke's throat. "I wish we could spend the whole day in bed."

Sasuke grunted in agreement. All he wanted was right there in the bed with him.

Shower round two was more productive. They dressed quickly, Naruto taking out the tuxedos that Mikoto had brought around. They would go straight to Cobalt Hall after breakfast to get ready. Sakura would already be there after spending the night. Sasuke tried not to think of her being all girly and excited about a wedding that wasn't going to happen. Instead he focused his thoughts on Naruto, and their future together. Nothing was going to keep him from that, nothing.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke found it strange to be coming back to the Uchiha mansion after being away; it didn't feel like a homecoming at all, as if he had moved out without realising it. Home had become wherever Naruto was. Nothing had changed in the time he had been away, although he found himself noticing the staff more. Kushina's approach was that if you wanted something you got it yourself; having so many people wander around in the background; taking his coat, pouring his drink, was suddenly disconcerting, even though he had grown up with it.

His brother came into the large foyer to greet them, leaning on Neji. Sasuke grinned at the sight of Itachi; he had missed his brother. He wrapped his arms around Itachi in a careful hug, ignoring Neji's look of disapproval.

"Thank you so much, Sasuke," Itachi murmured in his ear with heavy irony. "I've had your bride pester me on the intricacies of Uchiha family customs for the last few weeks."

"I'm sorry," Sasuke replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, recently. The doctors have this new treatment they're trialling. So far it seems to be working."

Sasuke grinned at his brother, delighted. Abandoning Itachi had been something else that he had been feeling bad about, another crime added to his growing list.

Itachi was accosted by Kushina, and Sasuke found himself facing Neji. The silver eyed man gave him a cold smile, and extended his hand. Sasuke took it, returning the smile with a feral grin of his own.

"You know," Neji hissed through gritted teeth, "If Itachi did to me what you're doing to Naruto, I'd leave him."

"No you wouldn't," Sasuke replied.

"No, but only because Itachi would never put me second to a picture perfect fake marriage," Neji replied. He pushed past Sasuke to greet Hinata. Sasuke scowled at his back, and turned, looking for Naruto. They had agreed to not antagonise his mother any more than was necessary, Naruto mainly to avoid any grief from Kushina. So Naruto was staying away from Sasuke. Sasuke felt a little bit abandoned; he saw Naruto giggling with Kiba, and scowled at the thought of how detrimental the conversation probably was to his lover's IQ.

"You know if the wind changes you'll be stuck like that," His mother's soft voice said beside him.

Sasuke turned to face her, forcing a smile on his face. She was wearing a dark red cocktail dress that showed off her still slim figure, and complimented her dark hair and eyes. Anyone else wearing something like that at 8 o'clock in the morning would have appeared pretentious, but she managed to carry it off. Sasuke bent and placed a small kiss on her cheek, grateful that she let him.

"Mum, I-"

Mikoto halted him by raising one slim finger. "I don't want to hear it," she said. "I understand how you feel, but I hate the way you're going about things. Lets just try to salvage as much as we can from today and leave it at that."

Sasuke nodded with a small sigh. His mother smiled at him, before turning to Kushina and giving her a hug, the pair of them squealing like teenage girls.

Sasuke followed the general flow into the dining room, feeling quite alone. His mother had outdone herself, or rather, her chiefs had. The table was piled high with food, and just about every Uchiha alive on the planet was sat at the table, with one very glaring exception. His father's chair at the head of the table was very empty. Sasuke sighed again. It wasn't like he had really expected him to be there, but it had been nice to dream. Naruto caught his eye and gave him a small smile, which Sasuke returned. Everyone could hate him; it didn't matter as long as he had Naruto's love. He just wished that he had realised this sooner.

Breakfast went surprisingly well, although Sasuke picked at his food; his stomach was still churning and he didn't think that he would be able to keep some of the richer foods down. Naruto ate like a horse, and Sasuke envied him. No one mentioned his blatant lying to Sakura, and he wondered if his mother had said something to them previously. He certainly noticed a few puzzled looks directed at him, but the conversation was kept solely to harmless small talk. Sasuke found it strangely stifling; there was definitely an elephant in the room, and he had a nasty suspicion it was him.

Champaign and strawberries were served for desert. Sasuke nibbled on the fruit, but pushed the champaign away with a shudder, settling for orange juice instead. His headache had faded into a dull throbbing at his temples, but he wanted to remain sober. Naruto caught his eye and raised his champaign flute in a salute, grinning at him before draining half the glass. Sasuke shuddered; he didn't know how he did it.

They managed to get away from the breakfast without being held up by the family; Karin had slipped away to change into her work clothes, and was doubling up as chauffeur for Sasuke for the day. Suigetsu was supposed to be doing guard duty for Sakura, but he had had a hissing argument with Karin before storming off. Sasuke hoped that he had gone to Sakura. He would have preferred Juugo in the role, but Hinata wanted her husband by her side.

Sasuke and Naruto slipped into the back seat of the car Karin had ready for them in the driveway. It was one of the family cars, rather than Sasuke's own, and the windows were tinted. So nobody saw that Sasuke's fingers were tangled with Naruto's, or that his head was resting on the blond's shoulder as Karin began to drive them the short distance to the Hall. Sasuke glanced at his watch. It was 10 o'clock; he had two hours to the start of the wedding. He fought the urge to vomit, and hoped that it would be enough time to find Sakura and speak to her. Naruto squeezed his hand, and placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"This is a complete nightmare," Sasuke murmured.

"Just remember that every nightmare has to end when you wake up," Naruto replied. "You can't stay asleep forever."

_Unless you're dead,_ Sasuke thought, but he didn't say it out loud. He needed Naruto's cheery optimism to keep him together, and his pessimistic thoughts were likely to bring them both down.

Naruto obviously could sense Sasuke's negativity. He turned in his seat, and caught Sasuke's face between his palms. Sasuke gazed into his eyes, drawing strength from the love he saw there. "And when you wake up," Naruto said softly, "I'll make sure all your future dreams are sweet." He pressed his lips to Sasuke's in a tender kiss. "Tonight," he murmured against Sasuke's mouth, "once this is all over, I want you to fuck me."

Sasuke let out a soft moan at that thought, and deepened the kiss, tangling his fingers in Naruto's hair.

"So," Naruto continued between kisses, "every time you start to get nervous or whatever just think of that." He pulled back to shoot Sasuke his biggest grin, like the sunshine coming out from behind clouds.

"I love you," Sasuke said.

"Hate to break up the make out session, but we're almost there," Karin called out.

Sasuke groaned, reality hitting him painfully hard.

"Just remember tonight," Naruto murmured to him before pulling away.

Karin grabbed their bags before opening the car door. Sasuke stepped out, and was almost blinded by a snapping camera.

"What the fuck," he hissed, seriously annoyed.

"An Uchiha wedding is going to draw paparazzi like flies to rotten meat," Karin said, "Just smile and pretend its the happiest day of your life."

Sasuke bared his teeth, and hurried into the Hall, followed by Karin. He turned to find Naruto conversing with a journalist who looked vaguely familiar, and rolled his eyes, wondering what the idiot was doing. Naruto gave the journalist a cheery wave before catching up with Sasuke.

"That was Tenten," he said, "mum asked her to come along. So at least there's one journalist who will be sympathetic."

"Oh God, they're all going to be in the church, aren't they," Sasuke groaned in sudden realisation. "I have to find Sakura. Go with Karin to the room and wait for me. Hopefully I can stop this damn wedding."

It had been months since he had been at the Hall, so it took him a moment to get his bearings. He charged up the ornate staircase to the second floor, wishing that Naruto had followed him. Panic gripped his chest painfully, and he wondered how he had managed to fuck everything up so spectacularly. He didn't have a clue what he was going to say to Sakura; he only hoped that she didn't hate him too much after.

He found the bridal suite, tried to push the door open and discovered it was locked. Gritting his teeth in irritation, he pounded on the door. A blonde woman who he vaguely recognised pushed the door open, and peered at him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

"I need to see Sakura," he said. "It's really, really urgent that I speak to her alone."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "I can take a message," she said, "but it's bad luck to see her before the wedding. Every Uchiha wedding where the bride saw the groom before ended up in tragedy."

Sasuke couldn't believe that his own lie was coming back to bite him in the ass. He shot her his evillest glare. "I can't give you a message," he said, "I need to see her in person. It's really important."

She scowled back at him. "If it's that important just write it down, and I'll take the message to her. I swear I won't peek." She crossed her ample chest.

Sasuke considered it for a moment, but he thought that breaking up with her a few hours before the wedding by letter was possibly as bad as doing it at the altar. In a last, desperate attempt, he turned as if to go, and then launched himself at the blonde, trying to force his way into the room. She let out a small scream of alarm as he barged passed her, but with a surprising turn of speed managed to catch him around the waist and tackle him to the ground. Sasuke grunted, winded by the impact, and wished again that he had brought Naruto as back up. Although Naruto would probably just laugh himself stupid at the sight of Sasuke wrestling with a skinny girl and loosing.

She had somehow managed to twist his arm around behind his back, and drag him out of the room. Despite his struggles, Sasuke couldn't manage to dislodge her.

"Sakura!" He called out desperately, and got an elbow in his stomach.

The door slammed very finally in his face after she deposited him out in the hallway. Sasuke rubbed his bruised ribs with a soft moan. _At least I tried,_ he thought to himself. It wasn't as comforting as it should have been. He struggled to his feet, and retreated back to the room that had been put aside for him.

Naruto was already there, fiddling with his tuxedo. Karin and Suigetsu were sat at opposite ends of the room, glaring at each other. Naruto glanced at him as Sasuke opened the door.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Not well," Sasuke replied. He glanced over at Suigetsu. "I take it she kicked you out, too," he said.

"Yeah, well Sakura is is good hands," Suigetsu replied. "Ino is the only bridesmaid who can double up as a body guard. She and Karin go way back." He smirked nastily at Karin.

Karin glared at him. "I really don't think that now is the time to bring that up," she hissed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering if knocking their heads together would stop the constant bickering. His head was pounding again and his ribs ached. He wondered if the bathroom stocked any painkillers.

Naruto shot a curious look at Karin and Suigetsu. "What happened," he asked.

Karin flushed, and Suigetsu's smirk deepened. "Ino slept with a guy Karin fancied," he said, "so Karin called her out. Ino beat the crap out of Karin, and they haven't spoken since."

"She fights dirty," Karin muttered. "And I told you I didn't want to talk about it."

"Yeah, that and everything else," Suigetsu said.

Karin jumped to her feet, shaking with rage. "What do you mean by that?" She hissed.

Suigetsu also stood up, slowly, his eyes not leaving Karin's face. "You know what I mean," he replied.

Sasuke shared a startled look with Naruto, who shrugged. They had apparently been forgotten by the duelling pair, who were glaring at each other in open antagonism. Sasuke wondered what had happened between them to cause this; they had always clashed a bit, but it had never been this bad. He knew he should put an end to the fight before it got out of hand, but a certain morbid curiosity held him back.

"We talked about that," Karin was saying through gritted teeth.

"No we didn't!" Suigetsu exclaimed, "You just said you didn't want to talk about it, and after last night-"

"Stop!" She screeched.

Sasuke and Naruto shared another look. Naruto had a knowing smirk on his face.

"God, you're as bad as Sasuke with the whole denial thing," Suigetsu said with disgust.

"Hey!" Sasuke snapped, offended.

Both guards turned to him in surprise, and Naruto jabbed him in the ribs. "It was just getting good," he hissed as Sasuke doubled up in agony.

"I'm going to see if Ino needs a hand," Suigetsu said, shooting a pointed look at Karin. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Karin was frozen for a few seconds, staring at the door in disbelief. A scowl formed on her face, and she strode after Suigetsu, slamming the door as well.

"So much for an elite security team," Sasuke muttered. He sat down on the bed an buried his face in his hands, wondering if he wished hard enough the ground would swallow him up. He felt the bed move as Naruto sat down beside him. A warm arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him against Naruto's chest. He buried his head with a sigh, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist.

"Why don't you try calling her?" Naruto suggested.

"I can't break up with her over the phone." Sasuke replied, his voice muffled.

"No, call her and ask her to meet you here," Naruto said.

Sasuke pulled away from him. "You're brilliant!" He exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Naruto grinned at him. "Because I'm obviously just superior in my awesomeness," he replied.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone, quickly scrolling to Sakura's number. He held it against his ear, his heart pounding as it rang, and rang, and rang...his heart sank as the answer phone clicked in. He hung up with a sigh.

"She's probably getting revenge for all the times I ignored her calls," he said.

"Or she's not by her phone. She could call back."

"She has an hour and a half," Sasuke replied. "We're running out of time." He picked up his phone and sent her a quick text message before placing it between them on the bed. They both spent a few minutes in tense silence watching the phone. Finally Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"I did try," he said, wishing that his words didn't sound so hollow, knowing that his efforts had been far too little far, far too late.

"You tried," Naruto agreed. Sasuke loved him a little bit more, knowing that he was saying what Sasuke needed to hear, rather than what he actually thought.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, staring down at his feet, he wasn't even sure what he was sorry for. Everything about summed it up, though.

Naruto gently cupped his chin, and pulled his head around to look him in the eyes. "Stop apologising," he said. "I forgive you for everything; save the apologies for Sakura."

"I love you, Naruto. More than anything," Sasuke breathed, leaning in for a kiss. Naruto's mouth was warm and soft against his, the kiss gentle and tender as their tongues languidly twisted together. Sasuke pulled away before passion could deepen it. The last thing he needed to do was to give into the strong urge to have Naruto fuck him to within an inch of his life.

"We should get dressed," he said. The phone sat silent on the bed, and with an eerie certainty, Sasuke knew that it would remain silent. He had run out of time to stop the wedding. They just had to play the whole horrible thing through to its inevitable conclusion.

They dressed in silence, backs to each other lest they give into temptation. Sasuke was ready first, and he spent a few minutes watching Naruto's back as he struggled with something around his neck. Sasuke's lips quirked in a ghost of a smile as he realised what was causing Naruto's problem.

"Do you want me to tie it?" He asked.

Naruto turned to him scowling. "I don't even get why we have to wear the stupid things," he snarled.

Sasuke reached out and deftly tied up the bow-tie with a few practised flicks of his wrists. He straightened Naruto's collar, and stepped back to admire his lover.

Naruto's eyes were dark as they regarded him in turn, and with a sudden tingling in his stomach, Sasuke realised that they were wearing matching tuxedos. His heart pounded as he almost lost himself in a fantasy that he wanted so badly to be true. The one he should be marrying was Naruto, and screw all the legalities that stuffily named it a civil partnership. His hand went to the ring hanging around his neck. He wanted to see it on Naruto's finger; he wanted to wear his as well. He wanted it so badly that it was a tangible ache, and he knew that he was doing the right thing. His methodology sucked, but his decision was right.

"We should start looking for a place of our own," Sasuke said.

"What?" Naruto asked with a puzzled expression.

Sasuke grinned at him. "I'm taking your advice, and thinking about forever," he said, "and I'm not spending the rest of my life living with your parents."

"What about your place?"

"I'm definitely not spending the rest of my life living with my parents," Sasuke replied. "No, we need somewhere that's just for us."

Naruto smiled. "That would be nice," he said. He turned and grabbed his jacket. As he did so, two small boxes fell out of the bag.

"Your mother gave them to me," Naruto said, "I completely forgot. I must be the worst best man ever."

"I think sleeping with the groom automatically grants you that title," Sasuke said, bending over and picking up the boxes. He flicked one open, and stared at the ring inside. The delicate band was like Sakura's dreams made tangible, a small hope that he was going to shatter totally. The diamond may have been tough, but it was carbon when confronted with his love for Naruto.

"I prefer ours," Sasuke found himself saying. He closed the box, and handed them to Naruto. "You may as well keep hold of them."

"You know," Naruto said, slipping the rings into his pocket, "I haven't even written a speech."

Sasuke shot him a wry look. "What would you have done if I had gone and married Sakura?" He asked.

Naruto shrugged, "ad-libbed, but I can guarantee it wouldn't have been very nice."

Sasuke shuddered. "I would have deserved it," he said. He couldn't believe there had been a point that he had really thought that marrying Sakura would work. He grabbed his own jacket and put it on. "Lets go and get this over with," he said.

Naruto glanced down at Sasuke's phone. "Aren't you taking that with you?" he asked.

Sasuke snorted, "and have whatever embarrassing song you've set as the ringtone go off in the middle of the church? No thanks."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, before breaking out into giggles.

Sasuke stared at him. "What?"

"I changed the tone last night," Naruto explained. "Gay Bar by Electric Six. It seemed appropriate at the time."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm definitely leaving the phone here," he said.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The church was crowded; Sasuke was pretty sure he knew less than half the people crowded in there. He glanced around, trying to pick out familiar faces. Hinata and Juugo sat with Neji and Naruto's parents directly behind his family. Itachi was in the front row next to his mother; his father's seat was still empty. Kiba and the rest of Naruto's house guests were farther back; somehow the bloody strippers were still with them. On Sakura's side he recognised her parents, but that was about it. He found himself looking for Gaara, mainly because apart from Ino he was the only one of Sakura's friends that Sasuke had met, but he couldn't see him.

He turned to Naruto as a panicked thought struck him. "Was I supposed to learn vows?" He hissed.

"I think the stopping it bit comes before then," Naruto replied, but he didn't look confident.

Sasuke could feel his earlier panic returning, but before he could say anything, the doors to the Church opened, and the opening strains of the wedding march started. Sasuke noticed Suigetsu and Karin, both looking a bit dishevelled, sneak into the back row in front of the flower-girl. Ino was behind her, along with two other girls Sasuke didn't recognise, a red-head and another blonde.

Then Sasuke got his first glimpse of Sakura. She was in traditional white with a long train, but the dress was lined in pale pink, and there were pink flowers in her veil. She looked stunning, but all Sasuke felt as he watched her was a mixture of dread and shame. The shame slipped away, completely overcome by the dread as he saw who was leading her down the aisle. His fucking father; obviously just back from Germany. Sasuke felt like vomiting.

The music stopped as Sakura reached the altar. She gave Sasuke a nervous smile, which he thought he may have returned, but he wasn't sure. His heart was beating far too loudly, echoing hollowly in his ears. He was hyper aware of Naruto standing a few feet behind him, and he had a sudden urge to just turn, take his hand, and run. He was pretty sure everyone would get the message loud and clear without him having to say anything.

Ino and the other bridesmaids stood behind Sakura, Ino holding onto her pink bouquet, and his father returned to his seat. The priest, an archaic white haired fellow who looked as if he was about to keel over, cleared his throat, and started reading some bible verse that Sasuke tuned out. He found himself hoping that the priest would keel over, and free him from the doomed wedding, which was hardly fair on the old man. He glanced at Sakura again, who looked as nervous as he felt. He thought that she would have seemed happier, and wondered if she knew something was wrong.

Once the priest finished talking, the flower-girl came forward and sung a song more for the aww factor than because she had any real talent. Sasuke thought that the song may have been some sort of hymn; it was certainly nothing that he recognised. His skin felt like there were bugs crawling over it, and his head spun. Maybe he should have eaten more than a few bites of toast and a strawberry for breakfast; fainting would certainly put a stop to the wedding, but would also be seriously embarrassing.

The priest was now speaking about love, and the sanctity of marriage. The words seemed to be shoving the heterosexuality of the institution down Sasuke's throat, and he felt like punching the priest in the face. Stupid homophobic wedding ceremony. He should just grab Naruto and kiss him; that would shut the priest up.

"And now we come to the vows."

Sasuke turned to Naruto in horror. What about the objecting bit? Surely they should give people a chance to object before making them promise anything. Naruto looked equally panicked.

Sasuke desperately racked his brains for something to stop the wedding; he wasn't going to lie and say he would love Sakura with Naruto standing right there. He couldn't.

The doors at the back of the church crashed open, and the priest paused, puzzled. All eyes turned to the red head who had gatecrashed the wedding, and Sakura paled.

"Stop! I object!" He shouted, before charging up the aisle.

Sasuke shared a shocked look with Naruto; he hadn't expected anyone other than them to sabotage the wedding, and he found himself quite grateful. Sakura looked like she was going to faint as the red head reached the altar; it was Gaara Sasuke realised, wondering why he was trying to sabotage his friends wedding. Not that he really cared; the damn thing had been stopped before he was forced to do anything drastic and Gaara could take all the blame for it. Hopefully he could get a moment to speak quietly to his father and Sakura, and clear up the whole sorry affair.

He turned to Naruto to share his relief, only to see his lover scowling at the intruder. With a sinking feeling, but no way to stop it, Sasuke knew exactly what was coming next as Naruto pushed to his side to stare Gaara down.

"You can't object," Naruto snarled, "I object; Sasuke is mine!"

Sasuke groaned, and shot a quick look at his father. Going by his expression, he was not impressed.

"I can object," Gaara snapped at Naruto, "Sakura is mine!"

There was a moment of stunned silence while the wedding guests took in the twinned declarations, then Kushina's voice stridently echoed through the silent church; "I knew it!"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Firstly, I would like to apologise for the delay in getting this up; Christmas is frikkin hectic! **

**Second, I want to thank everyone who has favourited and reviewed Chapter Eighteen; I loved reading your thoughts and comments! You've all pushed me to get this fic finished in this year ^^**

**I also want to give huge, massive thanks to all the people who have reviewed each chapter as they have read, your support means so much to me, you're all stars :D **

**So here is Chapter Nineteen; the final chapter of this mamoth fic that started off as a one-shot! I was originaly going to write a short epilogue, but the bunnies have bitten, and I have plans for a sequal instead...I have a few thoughts where it is going to go, and I want to work on it for a while, so it won't be posted any time soon, but it will be here. If there is anything you would like to see in a sequal let me know and I will see what I can do ^^**

**I do have a lot of other ideas simmering in my brain, so no doubt they will emerge on this site; I get depressed if I'm not writing anything, so expect more from me :D**

**Enough of my pointless rambling, here's chapter Ninteen; I apologise to any who fall into a diabetic coma due to the sweetness of some parts of this chapter. Please let me know what you think! ^^**

Chapter Nineteen

_16th September – Wedding Day_

Naruto glared at the freaky red-head for a few moments before his brain processed his words.

"Wait, what?" he asked, completely confused. He shot a glance at Sasuke and Sakura, both of whom looked like they wanted the floor to swallow them up. The poor priest looked pole-axed; Naruto doubted that he had ever had two separate people objecting to a wedding before.

"Sakura can't go through with this wedding because she's with me," the red-head said, grasping Sakura by the arm and pulling her away from Sasuke. Not to be outdone, Naruto grabbed Sasuke with a snarl.

"Well, Sasuke can't go through with the wedding either, because he's with me," he said. He heard Sasuke groan, but ignored him for the moment; it was all for his own good.

"This is, um, most unprecedented," the priest said.

Naruto was vaguely aware of his mother doing her I-told-you-so dance in the aisle; his Dad and Sasuke's mum were trying to make her sit down. He ignored them, his eyes fixed on Sakura, who looked like she wished the floor would swallow her, and the red-head, who was still scowling fiercely at Sasuke. The problem was, he hadn't really thought much beyond the whole objecting part. He had assumed that everything would just sort itself out after. Obviously not. Apart from Kushina and the priest's spluttering, the church was silent; expectant, waiting. Naruto risked a quick glance at Fugaku. He didn't look particularly happy; he kind of looked like he had been drinking vinegar, but he was making no move to get the wedding back on track. Naruto decided that this was a good thing. He turned to Sasuke.

"Say something," he hissed.

Sasuke turned his dark eyes to Naruto in full glare mode. "Why didn't you just keep quiet," he hissed back, "Gaara could have taken all the blame for wrecking the wedding."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Obviously he would have to do everything. Sakura looked mortified, and the red-head, Gaara, was still glaring at everyone.

He turned to face the crowded church. Several camera's flashed at the back, and he knew this would be all over the tabloids the next day. However, as much as Sasuke may have cared about that, Naruto didn't. At least this way everyone would know that Sasuke was his.

"OK," he said, "So since Sasuke's gay and with me, and apparently Sakura's with that guy, I think it's fair to say that this wedding is over." He grinned at the horrified expressions some of the older guests were shooting his way.

"Naruto, shut up," Sasuke hissed at him. "Sakura, I think we need to talk."

She raised her head, and nodded. The priest pushed past Naruto to face the congregation. "Um, there seem to be a few technical difficulties, so if you would all just wait a minute-"

"Fuck that," Naruto snarled, "this isn't a case of storm damage to a television mast; this wedding is a farce!"

There were a few gasps at his language; it was probably blasphemous or something to swear in church. Sasuke grabbed his wrist and dragged him after Sakura and Gaara before he had a chance to apologise. The priest led them into a tiny back room beyond the altar, guiding them in and shutting the door behind them. Naruto heard the jarring sound of several different hymns begin as the band decided to improvise. They had all settled on something dirgey by the end of the first few bars.

Naruto glanced around the small room. It appeared to be an office / storage room. A small paper filled desk stood to one side, and there were several stacks of chairs against the opposite wall. Above the desk was a picture of an angel, or possibly a saint. Sakura perched on the desk, Gaara beside her. Naruto fetched down two chairs; one for him, one for Sasuke. They both sat down. Then the four of them waited in awkward silence for someone to say something.

After about a minute of this, Naruto cracked. "OK, what the hell just happened!" He exclaimed, leaping to his feet. He pointed at Sakura. "I thought you were madly in love with Sasuke; who the hell is that?" He moved his finger and pointed at Gaara.

Sakura had been looking down at her feet up until that point. Now she raised her head, green eyes flashing. "If you thought I was so in love with Sasuke, why have you been sleeping with him? Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"Because Sasuke wouldn't let me," Naruto snapped, ignoring the twinge of guilt her words produced.

Sakura's eyes shifted to Sasuke. "Why didn't you answer any of my calls or texts?" She asked.

Sasuke flushed. "How long?" he asked, his eyes flicking to Gaara.

Sakura's eyes narrowed; "I could ask you the same thing," She replied.

"For Gods sake will someone just answer a question!" Naruto snapped. The angel in the picture seemed to scowl at him in disapproval. "Sorry," he murmured.

"OK," Sasuke said, taking a deep breath. "I've been gay for as long as I can remember, and I've been sleeping with guys all the time we were together. I tried to stop, but I just couldn't. And I've been in love with Naruto as long as I can remember. Again, I just couldn't stop. Sorry. I should have told you."

Sakura sighed. "I sort of guessed," she said.

Both Sasuke and Naruto stared at her, surprised. "Why didn't you say anything?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura's eyes flicked to Gaara, who had been listening silently the whole time. "Because of my parents," she said. "I've been with Gaara a long time; since we were in school together, but my parents didn't approve. So they set up the engagement with Sasuke. They said that it would bring honour to the family name; what I wanted didn't matter. And because I wanted them to be happy, I went along with it. I tried to give up Gaara, but I...I just couldn't." Her lips twitched in a small, wry smile at the echo of Sasuke's words.

"About the same time, I realised that there was something off about Sasuke; I liked him as a friend, and I could tell he felt the same about me, but it never went deeper than that. My parents said that it would be a stronger basis for a marriage than love. But I saw the way you looked at Naruto, and it made me wonder if you were hiding something too. So I decided to try and get you to tell me; I couldn't confront you with it; what if I was wrong? Plus, and I know how wrong this sounds, but I thought that if I pushed you enough, you would realise that you didn't love me at all, and couldn't marry me. If you cancelled the wedding, there would be nothing that my parents could do, and I would be free to be with Gaara."

Naruto couldn't help himself; he let out a snort of laughter at the sheer irony of what Sakura was saying. "You wouldn't believe the amount of angst Sasuke went through thinking how much he would hurt you if he cancelled the wedding," he said between snickers. He felt the heat of Sasuke's glare on him, but ignored it. He needed to hold onto the humour of the situation, and not dwell on the fact that if Sasuke and Sakura weren't so caught up in pleasing their damn parents they wouldn't be in this mess now.

"But you tried to seduce me," Sasuke said.

"What!" Gaara snapped.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You hadn't shown the slightest interest in me as a woman. I figured if you were gay then me coming onto you would scare you off. I admit I was a little drunk when I came up with the plan, and it didn't work. You told me you loved me the next day."

"What!" Naruto snapped turning to glare at Sasuke.

"I lied," Sasuke said. "Sorry."

Naruto wondered if the apology was meant for him or Sakura. He tried to swallow his anger; back then, Sasuke had still been planning on going through with the wedding. Stupid Sasuke and his stupid, stupid pride; thank goodness that Gaara seemed to have sense enough to gatecrash the wedding. If they had left things up to Sasuke and Sakura, the four of them would spend their lives miserable and lying to each other.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke sighed. "Because I really thought you loved me, and I didn't want to disappoint my father. I wanted to find a way out that wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Who knew that honesty and communication would be the key," Naruto muttered wryly.

"So; what do we do now?" Sakura asked after another awkward silence.

"I don't think I can marry you," Sasuke replied.

"Like I'd let you," Naruto snorted. "We go out there and officially cancel the wedding." He glanced at Sasuke. "If you're dad was going to try to force you to go through with it, he would have appeared by now. I guess he's going to let us get away with it."

"Or he's biding his time, plotting his revenge," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura slipped off of the desk. "It seems such a shame," she said, "after all the effort that went into it."

Gaara shot her an alarmed look. "Don't tell me you still want to go through with it," he said.

"No. Of course not. I just put so much effort into it, and it's all going to go to waste."

"We could still have the party," Naruto offered. "Might be a bit awkward, but once the alcohol starts flowing everything should be fine." Now that he knew Sakura wasn't in love with Sasuke, he found himself warming to her. Though she was right; after all the drama, the wedding guests were sitting there waiting for a happy ending that they weren't going to get. Or rather, the happy ending wasn't one any of them bar a few expected. Then he had the idea. It was so obvious and audacious that it took his breath away. He shot a sly glance at Sasuke, wondering if he would go for it, wondering if he dared to even mention it.

Reticence had never been a part of Naruto's character. He grinned, and caught Sasuke's wrist, stopping him from opening the door.

"We could do it," he said.

Sasuke turned to him with a puzzled frown. "Do what?" He asked.

Naruto grinned at him. "Get married," he said. "We have the guests, and the church. We even have the rings."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "But-but that..." He stammered.

Sakura grinned. "I think Naruto just proposed to you," she said. "I can't believe you're going straight from one engagement to another."

"We can't," Sasuke said.

"Why not?" Naruto demanded. It was nice, if sort of odd to have Sakura on his side.

"Because it wouldn't be legal; the church in this country doesn't recognise gay marriage, and even if it did, we can't just get married because there's a free church, priest and congregation, it doesn't work like that."

"And? It's not about legality, it's about love. It's the words that matter, not whether or not they're legally binding. We can do it properly later. Right now, I just want to make sure the whole world knows you're mine."

Sasuke flushed, but a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. Sakura made the noise that girls make when they find something totally adorable. It was so opposite to the reaction that Sasuke had built up that Naruto laughed again. Best of all, if they stood up and said the wedding vows, even without it being a lawfully recognised wedding, there would be nothing that Fugaku could do.

"Just say yes, Sasuke," Naruto murmured.

Sasuke bit his lip, and closed his eyes. When they opened they were clear of shadows and Naruto grinned, knowing what Sasuke's answer would be.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The priest looked like he was going to have a heart attack when they told him. The band had obviously become desperate, and were going through their repertoire of Christmas songs, badly. The crowd were growing restive, apart from Kushina who was singing along, and Fugaku Uchiha, sat in the front row with his arms folded and a scowl so fierce it could probably win a fight with a mountain gorilla.

"You know this won't be legal,"the priest said.

"We know," Sasuke snapped.

"And the church doesn't recognise your, uh..."

"We _know_," Sasuke repeated. The scowl he fixed on the priest rivalled that of his father. "Are you going to do it or not?"

"Against my better judgement," He said with a resigned sigh.

Naruto wondered how much they were paying him. Then he found it didn't matter at all, as he realised that they were really doing this. He swallowed a sudden lump that formed in his throat; the bow-tie seemed to have become tighter, and was in danger of choking him. He glanced over at Sasuke, who looked a bit wide eyed, like he was wondering what the hell they were doing.

Naruto almost swallowed his tongue in shock as Sakura hugged him and whispered a good luck in his ear. Why hadn't he told her about him and Sasuke? The next time Sasuke wanted him to keep an insane secret, he was going to ignore him.

"Hey, you said you had rings," Sakura said. "Can I have them? I can keep a hold of them until the exchange, like a best man."

Naruto numbly unhooked the chain around his neck, watching as Sasuke did the same thing. Sakura looked at the slender bands with a soft smile. "They are so much nicer than the ones I picked," she said. "When you didn't say anything about them I began to worry that you really were straight. I expected a gay man to have a better sense of taste."

"I thought you liked them," Sasuke said.

"Please!" Sakura snorted, "they were hideous." She wrapped Sasuke in a quick hug, too. He stiffened in her arms for a moment, before awkwardly patting her on the back. Then Sakura stood to one side, and they were ready.

Naruto caught Sasuke's hands in his, and looked into his eyes. "I love you," he murmured, "so much."

"I love you too," Sasuke replied, "always have, always will."

Naruto grinned, and the whole world fell away, until it was just him and Sasuke, fingers twined together standing in front of the altar. It wasn't about showing the world who Sasuke belonged to any more; it was about showing Sasuke how much Naruto loved him.

The priest cleared his throat, and the band stopped playing. A murmur ran through the guests as they realised who was standing up at the altar.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and...this...man together in, um. To join them together," the priest began. Obviously he wasn't very good at improvisation. Naruto couldn't really blame him for missing out the bit about holy matrimony, but Sasuke scowled.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a bit of a blur; the priest did a good job of editing out any allusions to heterosexuality or god, which, considering it was a religious ceremony, was actually quite impressive and probably cut the length of the ceremony in half.

Naruto had to give his name, because obviously the priest hadn't needed to know the name of the best man, and then he was being asked questions. This bit he knew; just say "I do." The look in Sasuke's eyes every time he said those words melted his heart. Their love was palpable, so strong it echoed around the room, and he briefly wondered why anyone would want to deny them this moment. Then it was Sasuke's turn; love, honour. No obeying, though; he wasn't sure whether that was because they were both guys, or because feminists had got at the wedding vows.

Then there was a sudden, worrying silence, and a look of panic in Sasuke's eyes. Naruto turned to look at the priest for a prompt, and locked eyes with Sakura instead.

"Vows," she hissed.

Now he knew why Sasuke looked panicked.

"Just say what's in your heart," Sakura continued, "just tell him the truth." And she pressed Sasuke's ring into Naruto's palm. He looked down at the band, and remembered the word that was inscribed within. Sasuke hadn't seen it; the ring had been around Naruto's neck. Now seemed as good a time as any.

"Sasuke," he said, "I love you more than words could ever say, you are my everything. I promise that I will be with you, always. I don't believe in that whole till death do us part thing." He shot a quick glance at the priest, who looked offended. "Sorry." His eyes flicked back to Sasuke. "Death won't part us; nothing is going to part us. We'll be together forever, and for whatever comes after forever." He ran his finger across the word inscribed inside the band; _Forever,_ before taking Sasuke's hand, and slipping it on.

It was worth it, Naruto decided, all the pain and frustration. He would go through all that a million times just to see the look that Sasuke had on his face in that moment. Sasuke didn't take his eyes from Naruto as he took the second ring from Sakura.

"Naruto," He said, his voice soft and full of emotion, "I love you, more than anything or anyone. You own me, heart body and soul forever and beyond. And I swear I will never be stupid enough to deny my love for you again."

He slipped the ring onto Naruto's finger. The weight of it felt so right. Naruto grinned at Sasuke, who smiled back at him. Their fingers remained tangled together as the priest continued.

"I now pronounce you man and...man. You may kiss the...you may kiss." The priest slumped, obviously wondering why he had agreed to continue the wedding. Naruto didn't care about him; all he cared about was Sasuke. He caught him around the waist, and pulled him into a deep kiss. He was aware of cheering, probably led by his mother, and the feeling of Sasuke's cheeks heating. But really, the feel of Sasuke's arms around him, his lips against his, took up just about his whole world.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Despite all of Sasuke's worries, Fugaku did nothing to stop them as they dashed down the aisle hand in hand, Sakura and the bridesmaids scattering confetti behind them. Naruto was aware of the smiling faces of their friends, and the slightly confused ones of Sasuke and Sakura's families. The crowd of journalists by the church door pressed in, determined to get the best shot or a statement or whatever. Naruto grinned for the cameras; Sasuke bared his teeth beside him. Neither of them answered the flurry of questions; Sasuke wouldn't on principle, and Naruto knew who was getting the exclusive interview. He saw Tenten towards the back of the crowd, and gave her a wave and a wink.

Karin and Suigetsu arrived to clear the crowd; Naruto saw Sakura say something to Ino, and she came forward, pushing at paparazzi as if they were nursery school children. Karin scowled at her; obviously there were still issues there.

"Thank goodness the party venue is next door," Naruto said.

"Yet we still have a horse drawn carriage to take us there," Sasuke said with a wry look at Sakura.

She shrugged. "You didn't veto it. In some ways, Sasuke, you were the perfect fiancé. You let me have everything I asked for."

"I was stupid," Sasuke growled. He squeezed Naruto's hand, and dragged him through the church door into the sunlight. "Make sure none of the journalists get into the reception," he snapped at Karin.

"Let Tenten in," Naruto added. Sasuke gave him a surprised look, but didn't say anything.

Once they got into Cobalt Hall, instead of heading towards the large room set up ready for the party, Sasuke dragged Naruto up the stairs and into the room they had used to get dressed in. Naruto wasn't surprised. He sat on the bed, tugged off the annoyingly constricting bow-tie, and waited.

Sasuke paced for a bit, before turning to him with a panicked expression. "What the hell did we just do?" He demanded.

"I'm pretty sure we just got fake married in front of all your family, friends and businesses associates," Naruto replied.

"Oh God!" Sasuke groaned, sinking onto the bed next to Naruto and burying his head in his hands.

"I think it went quite well," Naruto said.

"I can't believe my father let us," Sasuke said. "Why didn't he stop us?"

"Well, you were wrong about Sakura. Maybe you were wrong about him, too."

Sasuke raised his head and looked at Naruto. "Maybe," he said doubtfully. He glanced down at the ring on his finger, and his lips split in a smile. "I am glad, though," he said. He took Naruto's hand in his, his dark eyes fixed on the matching bands on their fingers. "I'm glad you never gave up on me, and I'm so sorry for all I put you through; I -"

Naruto stopped him with a kiss. "No more apologies about it," He murmured against Sasuke's mouth. He felt Sasuke's lips twist under his in a smile.

"I suppose we should go down to the party," Sasuke said, his hands resting on Naruto's hips, stroking down his thighs.

"Yeah, we've essentially just thrown the most ostentatious engagement party ever. I think we should be there."

Sasuke let out a snort of laughter at that. "I suppose I should talk to my father before he implodes," he said. The humour vanished from his eyes.

Naruto kissed him again, a brief peck. "We'll talk to him," he said. "Together." He had just stood up in front of hundreds of people to proclaim his love for Sasuke; he felt he could handle Fugaku Uchiha, no matter how pissed off he was.

Naruto stood up, dragging Sasuke up with him. "Besides," he murmured, "I want to save myself for our wedding night."

Sasuke snorted. "What, you're the blushing virgin now?"

"Well, technically," Naruto said.

Sasuke gaped at him for a moment. "Holy fuck," he said reverently. He looked to be on the verge of suggesting they just stayed in the room, and Naruto was tempted, but if they didn't appear downstairs people would likely come to get them. People like his mother or Sakura or Itachi, who had no respect for locked doors. What he wanted to share with Sasuke was just for them, not a bunch of gaping perverts.

"Later," he said with a smile, "I promise you."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

They were bombarded the instant they crossed the threshold into the hall. Dozens of people, most of them Naruto didn't even recognise had come to congratulate them. He noticed Sasuke's eyes going glassy as yet another hand grabbed his and pumped vigorously. Someone slapped him on the back. Even though he had been saying to Sasuke for months that coming out wasn't going to change anything, he was still a little surprised at how accepting everyone was. He wondered if his mother had something to do with it. Looking around the room it appeared around a third of the guests hadn't remained for the party; possibly they were the ones with the problem.

The next person to grab him was Sakura, still in her wedding dress. She hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear; "I've asked for your stuff to be moved to the honeymoon suite. I've arranged to stay with Gaara tonight."

Naruto hugged her back. "Thank you," he said. She beamed at him before grabbing Sasuke.

Naruto turned, and found himself face to face with Fugaku Uchiha. Naruto swallowed, suddenly very glad that Sasuke took after his mother; he didn't want to wake up next to that scowl in thirty years time.

"Uhh, hi," he said.

Sasuke appeared beside him, linking their arms and glaring with forced bravado at his father. Naruto was incredibly proud of him for that. The crowd around them sublimated away, obviously sensing the chilly emissions from the elder Uchiha.

"I need to speak to my son," Fugaku said.

"Naruto comes too," Sasuke replied, the hand on Naruto's arm squeezing in a death grip.

Fugaku sighed. "Fine," he said, leading them into a quiet corner. There was no time for an awkward silence to form; Fugaku launched straight into his attack. "Why didn't you inform me of your intentions before carrying out that little stunt?" He demanded.

"Sasuke was going to; you've been away in Germany-"

Fugaku stopped him with a raised palm. "Not speaking to you yet," he said.

"I tried," Sasuke said as Naruto gaped wide eyed at the dismissal. "I wanted to cancel the wedding, but I needed to talk to you first."

"For the love of God Sasuke, why? It was your wedding. I thought I had raised you to be able to make important decisions without me. You've succeeded in making us all look very foolish."

"Why?" Naruto exclaimed. "Because he loves me?"

Fugaku shot him a warning scowl. "No. Because the issue should have been handled with decorum. Instead we will be the centre of a media circus. I have my press people on damage control, but there were too many freelance journalists there. I dread to think of the headlines in the morning."

Sasuke hung his head, the fight blown out of him. "Sorry," he murmured.

Naruto was still raging. "So what?" He snarled. "At least this way everybody knows."

"And it makes you happy to be the focus of the tabloids?" Fugaku snapped. "They'll treat you like a freak show."

"Hey!"

"That's not my opinion; it's just what they do with anything different." Fugaku's lip curled, and he turned back to Sasuke, leaving Naruto feeling snubbed.

"Why didn't you tell me you were unhappy, Sasuke?" Fugaku asked. "I knew about your preferences, but I thought that you wanted to hide it, that you thought you could come to be happy with Sakura."

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Sasuke said.

To Naruto's shock Fugaku took his son in his arms. He would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

"Sasuke, you're my son. I just want you to be happy."

Naruto wondered if they had fallen into some weird alternate dimension. Clearly Sasuke didn't know his father as well as he thought he had. Naruto shook his head wryly. If only Sasuke had had the courage to confess to Sakura and his father weeks ago, they would have skipped all the angst.

Fugaku's eyes turned to rest on Naruto, and the coldness in them froze him to the bone. Obviously Fugaku's fatherly love didn't extend to his son's boyfriend.

"If you do the slightest thing to hurt my son or tarnish his reputation, I'll make you wish you had never been born," he said. "And I still expect Sasuke to produce an heir."

He gave one last smile to Sasuke, and shot a glare at Naruto, before wandering over to the bar.

"Was that one of those killing looks?" Naruto said. "Am I going to die?"

Sasuke's eyes were on his father's retreating form. "I can't believe he approves," he said.

"Barely. He still hates me."

Sasuke shrugged. "I can live with that."

"Thanks," Naruto said sourly.

The grin that Sasuke turned on him was so bright that it instantly elevated his mood. "We've really done it, Naruto." He said. "Father's not going to stop us being together; Sakura's happy."

"Yeah, exactly as planned," Naruto said returning the grin.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The party really kicked off once all the congratulations were out of the way. Most of the businesses associates and the older members of both families left quite early, but plenty of guests still remained. Kushina started a game of truth or dare that got quickly out of hand after Kiba streaked around the room, and there was a scare when one of Sakura's relatives, an elderly woman named Chiyo, pretended to be dead after too much gin. An ambulance had been called before Sakura appeared to explain that she did it all the time.

Kiba was inconsolable after the blond bridesmaid, who turned out to be Gaara's sister dragged Shikamaru off one way, and the red haired one dragged Konohamaru another. It wasn't his friends achieving his ambition of sleeping with the bridesmaid that really had Kiba down, though. As he later told Naruto after pointing out Ino and Tenten in a very involved make out session; they hadn't let him join in.

Naruto left him staring into his pint, and went to find Sasuke. It was late, and everyone was at least a little bit tipsy, if not fully drunk. He had waved off his parents an hour earlier; Minato had needed to drag Kushina into the car.

He found Sasuke sitting with Sakura and Hinata; they were all giggling about something, although Naruto knew that if he pointed out how adorable Sasuke was being he would get a punch in the face. He settled for just sitting down beside him and placing a small kiss on his cheek.

"Aww, so adorable," Sakura cooed. Any doubts that Naruto may have had about her faking acceptance had faded over the course of the evening. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her like this, and he wondered how long he had just accepted her fake happiness as the real thing. Naruto shook off the lingering guilt; both Sakura and Sasuke were to blame for not being honest with each other, but that was over now. Sakura had Gaara, and he had Sasuke.

"How are your parents?" Naruto asked Sakura. She had had her own version of the talk he and Sasuke had with Fugaku. But while Fugaku had stayed for a few drinks before leaving, thankfully prior to the game of truth or dare, Sakura's parents had left straight away.

Sakura grimaced. "They're not impressed." She said. "They feel humiliated by all of us. I'm going to stay with Gaara, and give them a bit of time to cool down."

Hinata placed an understanding hand on her arm. "They'll come around," she said.

"I hope so. They're very proud people. They really wanted this wedding to go ahead, to link themselves to the Uchiha name."

Naruto snorted. "Even Fugaku Uchiha understands that family joy is worth more than family pride," he said.

"Just as well," Sasuke said, "otherwise we'd be living in a cardboard box tomorrow."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Just like Sasuke to be over dramatic. "Yeah, because my parents would allow that," he said.

The party was winding down now. He glanced over at the dance-floor, where a few couples were slow-dancing. Shikamaru, Konohamaru and their respective bridesmaids, Sai with the dark haired man from the morning, who was apparently Gaara's brother. And most surprising of all, Karin and Suigetsu. Naruto supposed that there was just something about weddings that made everyone want to be coupley. His eyes wandered back to Sasuke. At some point in the evening he had lost the bow-tie and undone the first couple of buttons on his shirt. Naruto really wanted to lick the triangle of exposed skin, to nibble his way up Sasuke's neck until he reached his mouth.

He placed a hand on Sasuke's thigh, drawing circles with his fingers until Sasuke turned to him. Naruto noticed Sakura and Hinata sharing a knowing look, and grinned. "Sasuke," he murmured, "it's past my bedtime."

"And that's our cue to go find our men," Sakura said, standing up. She grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled her to her feet. "Sleep well," she said with a wicked grin, dragging Hinata away. Hinata gave them a cheery wave.

"You know, I really like her," Naruto said. "Why did you never tell me she was like this?"

"I didn't know," Sasuke replied.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless," he said. "How long have you been friends with her? You're really quite rubbish at reading people."

Sasuke scowled at him. "I thought you were sleepy?"

Naruto smiled. "I'm not sleepy," he said, "I just think it's time that we went to bed." Just to make his intentions crystal clear, he caught Sasuke by the back of his head, fingers tangling in his dark hair, and pulled him into a kiss. Sasuke got the message; his mouth opened under Naruto's, hot and eager, his tongue sliding past Naruto's lips. Naruto let out a low groan, anticipation sending tingles down his spine.

Sasuke pulled back far enough to look into Naruto's eyes. "I think you're right," he said, his dark eyes glittering.

Naruto stood up, taking Sasuke's hand in his. He loved feeling Sasuke's fingers sliding between his, the warmth of his palm pressing against his own. Sasuke stood up beside him and they left the room hand in hand. No one seemed to notice them go, or if they did, no one tried to stop them. Naruto wondered if he had Sakura to thank for that, or the amount of alcohol everyone had imbibed. Possibly a mixture of the two. Naruto himself had been drinking coke; he wanted to be able to remember this night with clarity. He thought that Sasuke probably felt the same way; he had had the same half full champagne flute by his elbow for the past few hours.

The walked up the stairs in silence, and then..."Umm, do you know where the room is?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"I think it's the one at the end of the hall," Sasuke replied. "Sakura said that she moved our stuff into it, so we'll know if it's the right one."

"OK; but just open the door, don't go in. I want to carry you over the threshold."

"No," Sasuke said flatly, "there will be no carrying. Besides, shouldn't it be me carrying you, virgin boy?"

Naruto snorted. "In your dreams," he said.

If he was honest with himself, Naruto was a bit nervous; he wanted this, really wanted it, and logically he knew that just changing positions wasn't a big deal; lots of gay couples did it all the time. And he trusted Sasuke. But he was still nervous; as if he really was a virgin. It was ridiculous, but a feeling he couldn't shake. He squeezed Sasuke's hand, and headed towards the doors at the end of the hallway.

The room was the only one with double doors; if it wasn't the honeymoon suite then it was probably some sort of conference room. Which would be bizarre considering all the bedrooms surrounding it. Naruto forcibly stopped his sudden descent into mental babble, and pushed open the doors, before grabbing Sasuke around the waist and slinging him over his shoulder. He hoped it was the right room. No way was he going to catch Sasuke by surprise again.

Sasuke let out a yell, twisting against Naruto. Naruto ignored him, his eyes fixed on the room. He wondered if this came as standard, or if Sakura had something to do with it. The doors opened into an opulent sitting room, beyond that another pair of double doors stood open, leading to the bedroom. It was lit with literally hundreds of candles, flickering gently. There was a path of deep red rose petals leading towards the bed, and scattered over the cream sheets. Sasuke, apparently sensing Naruto's mood, stopped struggling. Naruto stepped into the room, leaning slightly to allow Sasuke to slide off his shoulder.

Sasuke's scowl slipped as he looked into Naruto's eyes. He turned and glanced around the room. "I think we're in the right place," he said.

Naruto nodded. He closed the doors behind them, clicking the lock into place. He took Sasuke's hand again and led them into the bedroom. He was slightly disappointed to see that the candles weren't real; they were tiny little lights, shaped to look like candles. The rose petals were real, though. Soft and satiny. He picked up a handful, letting them tumble through his fingers, careful not to bruise them.

Sasuke let out a snicker. Naruto turned to him; he was stood next to the bed, looking into the top drawer of the bedside cabinet. Naruto crawled over the bed to see what he was looking at. It was jammed full with a collection to rival a sex shop.

"What disturbs me about that," Naruto said, "are that the most likely culprits are either my mother, or your very recently ex-fiancée."

"Or Kiba," Sasuke said.

"Or Sai...we have strange friends."

Though Naruto did think that Sai was a likely suspect, he had mainly mentioned him for the possessive look Sasuke got in his eyes when he mentioned his name. For some reason jealousy on Sasuke was really hot; it was the way his eyes sparked, black flames dancing in their depths. Naruto grinned to himself, and lay down on the bed, spreading out and taking up as much room as he could. Sasuke abandoned the contents of the drawer, his eyes raking Naruto from head to toe. Naruto felt a shiver of anticipation go through him; he wanted Sasuke in every way possible. He wanted to drown himself in Sasuke; their bodies, hearts and souls connecting. The room seemed to crackle with tension as their eyes met, then Sasuke was on him, moving in a flash, lips connecting in a fierce kiss.

Naruto managed to get Sasuke out of his tuxedo jacket and unbutton his shirt before rolling them, shrugging off his own jacket in the process. He took a moment to look at Sasuke, flushed and half naked lying on a bed of rose petals. His breath caught at the sight; it was beautiful and erotic all at once. Naruto knew that there was no way he would last; he would need to get off at least once first, otherwise his first experience of bottoming would be painfully short. Judging by the look on Sasuke's face he was in a similar situation.

Naruto took off his shirt before leaning in to Sasuke. He kissed him, his tongue sliding deep into Sasuke's mouth, while his hands manoeuvred Sasuke out of his shirt. He broke the kiss to whisper in Sasuke's ear.

"I'm going to suck you until you come," he murmured, "then I want you to fuck me until the sun rises."

Sasuke groaned, and arched against Naruto, his erection pressing hard against Naruto's thigh. Naruto took one nipple into his mouth, nipping it with his teeth before sucking it hard. Sasuke groaned again, his hands tangling in Naruto's hair. Naruto nibbled his way down Sasuke's stomach, his hands unzipping his trousers and freeing his cock. He tugged Sasuke's trousers off before removing his own, leaving them both nice and naked. He licked the backs of Sasuke's knees, mainly because he knew he was ticklish there, before kissing his way up Sasuke's thigh.

He turned his head, and began placing light, teasing kisses around the head of Sasuke's cock, flicking his tongue in the slit and tasting the salt of pre-come. Sasuke was gasping and moaning under him in the most delicious way, his fingers still tangled in Naruto's hair. With a groan, Naruto took the full length into his mouth, relaxing his throat and letting it slide down until his nose was buried in Sasuke's groin. He wondered how it would feel to have that same length buried deep in his ass. He groaned at the thought, and Sasuke arched, trying to bury his dick deeper in Naruto's throat. Naruto pinned his hips with his hands, and began moving his head, backing off until just the tip was in his mouth before dipping down again, all the while sucking and licking. Sasuke's hands tightened in his hair, and with a deep moan he came, shooting deep into Naruto's throat.

Naruto made sure he had lapped up all of Sasuke's come before releasing his cock. He sat up and looked into Sasuke's eyes, grinning. Sasuke returned the smile, his features softened by the post orgasm buzz. Naruto's heart clenched; he didn't think that it was possible to love anyone as much as he loved Sasuke. He could spend hours just looking at him, days just kissing and touching him. A life time making love to him. Naruto leaned in and placed a soft kiss against Sasuke's lips.

"I love you," he murmured.

Sasuke let out a soft sigh of pleasure, his hand sliding down Naruto's chest until it rested on his still rock hard cock. Naruto groaned, frustrated at the gentle touch.

"I love you, Naruto. More than anything," Sasuke said, his eyes locking with Naruto's. Naruto could see eternity in the dark depths of his pupils, and the beauty of it took his breath away. Sasuke was his, forever, and he was Sasuke's.

Naruto kissed him again and again, the passion in him growing, consuming him. He could feel the same ardour in Sasuke; his own feelings reflected and magnified back to him. They were both breathless, and Naruto achingly hard when Sasuke broke the kiss.

He smiled up at Naruto, his expression angelically innocent. "I want you to fuck my mouth while I finger your ass," he said.

Naruto groaned at the thought; this angel was seriously corrupt in all the right ways. He moved off of Sasuke long enough to allow Sasuke to rummage in the drawer, and pull out a large tube of lube. The other stuff in there was going to be used at some point, Naruto thought, but not tonight. This night was for them; their bodies meeting with no artifice or distraction.

Sasuke settled back on the bed, half sitting and propping his back with pillows. Naruto straddled him, his cock in line with Sasuke's deliciously kiss swollen lips. Sasuke's tongue flicked out and caught a drop of pre-come that was forming on the tip. Naruto groaned at the lightness of the touch, and Sasuke grinned. He wrapped his hand around the base, and slowly guided Naruto's cock into the wet heat of his mouth. Naruto groaned again at the sensation of Sasuke's mouth around the sensitised flesh of his dick, at the sight of Sasuke, cheeks flushed, lips spread around his girth. Naruto cupped his cheeks and stared down into Sasuke's lust hazy eyes. He began moving slowly, thrusting in and out of Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke's eyes flickered shut, and Naruto felt his groan of pleasure vibrating along the length of his cock.

There was a clicking sound, then Naruto felt a slickness brush against his entrance. Sasuke's finger pressed gently against his hole, teasing at the flesh around it, before slipping the tip in. For a moment, Sasuke kept his finger still, so that each thrust of Naruto's hips had it sinking deeper inside. Naruto knew he wasn't going to last, not with the heat around his cock and the teasing of his ass. Not when he knew that it was preparation for something bigger, hotter, harder.

He stared down into Sasuke's eyes. "More," he moaned, "please Sasuke, I need more."

Sasuke knew what he meant. One finger became two, no longer teasing, sinking deep into him with an aching burn that combined pleasure and pain in a way that had Naruto's balls tightening. He grit his teeth, wanting to last a bit longer, then Sasuke twisted his fingers, pressing against his prostate. With a cry Naruto thrust deep into Sasuke's throat as he came, his whole body tingling with the sensation.

"Fuuuuuck," he groaned,rolling away from Sasuke and spreading limply on the bed beside him.

Sasuke poked his hip with a sharp finger. "We've barely begun," he said.

Naruto turned to him with a grin. "I'm pretty sure you're booked in for fucking me until the sun rises," he said.

Sasuke returned the smile. "That would be it," he said, cupping Naruto's cheek and pulling him into a kiss. Their tongues glided languidly against each other; Naruto could taste himself on Sasuke's tongue, could still taste Sasuke in his own moth, their essence combining together. Sasuke's hand slipped down his thigh and Naruto spread his legs, eager for his lover's touch.

Sasuke started with one finger again, slowly thrusting in and out of Naruto's ass. They continued to kiss while he did this, all urgency gone, just revelling in the feeling. After a few minutes of this, the slow burn of arousal beginning to ignite once again in Naruto's gut, Sasuke slipped a second finger into him. The slight ache quickly faded as they continued to kiss; the hand not occupied with Naruto's ass was gently stroking through his hair. Naruto had one hand cupped against Sasuke's cheek, the other placed on his hip, tender touches against heated flesh.

Sasuke began occasionally scissoring his fingers, skilfully knowing how much pressure to use. Sometimes he would brush against Naruto's prostate, the wave of pleasure it caused making Naruto's hand tighten on his hip. By the time he slipped a third finger in, Naruto was arching into his thrusts and groaning into his mouth, and Sasuke's cock was hard against Naruto's thigh.

"Sasuke, I'm ready," Naruto gasped between kisses.

Sasuke's response was a deep, low groan. He caught Naruto's bottom lip between his teeth, and rubbed his fingers against Naruto's prostate, before slowly pulling them out of his ass. The very sudden feeling of emptiness after being so full was strange. Naruto found himself aching for the feel of Sasuke's cock, all nerves evaporated by sheer need.

Sasuke pulled away from him, grabbing some pillows. The bed had an obscene amount of them. Naruto raised his hips, allowing Sasuke to settle the pillows under them. No words were spoken; they weren't needed.

Naruto watched as Sasuke slathered his cock with lube. He had never really paid any attention to how thick it was before, and it was certainly longer than Sasuke's fingers. Anticipation twisted with a strange sense of vulnerability inside him. His own cock was hard now, and leaking pre-come.

Sasuke settled himself over Naruto, propping himself up with his hands, kneeling between Naruto's spread thighs. For a long moment they just looked at each other, not a single part of their bodies touching. Naruto could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears, and fancied that he could hear an echo, Sasuke's heart pounding in perfect rhythm with his own.

Naruto's breath caught as he felt the blunt head of Sasuke's cock against his ass. Definitely bigger than his fingers. He forced himself to relax, his eyes meeting Sasuke's and locking with them as Sasuke slowly and carefully began to sink into him. He saw Sasuke's eyes widening, and remembered that this was a first for him too; the first time he had felt the bliss of the tight, constricting heat of another person grasp his cock. Naruto certainly had never felt anything like it, and fingers were suddenly really not ample preparation. Not for the hardness, or the length, or the feeling of being totally and utterly filled by another person. It hurt, stretching him further than he had ever been stretched before. At the same time, it felt so good, all of his nerve endings tingling, zapping signals to his dick and his balls.

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto felt the light tap of Sasuke's balls against his ass. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's trembling body, pressing their chests together. Sasuke's lips placed fervent kisses against his neck and cheeks, until their lips met. All the while, Naruto was very, very aware of the heat inside him, filling him, completing him. It felt so good just being joined in this way with Sasuke. He couldn't imagine how much better it was going to get when Sasuke moved.

"Oh god, Naruto," Sasuke moaned, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I love you, too. Sasuke, I need you to move."

Sasuke raised his head, and looked down into Naruto's eyes. "Once I start, there's no way I'm going to be in control," he said.

"I know," Naruto replied. He raised one leg and wrapped it around Sasuke's hips. It shifted the position of his cock, driving it deeper into Naruto. Naruto arched his back with a groan, desperate for more, more, more.

Sasuke began moving very slowly and carefully, despite what he had said about loosing control. Naruto wrapped his arms and his other leg around him, clinging on and giving into the sensation as Sasuke's cock moved inside him. The angle had Sasuke's cock brushing against his prostate with every thrust, and their bodies pressed tightly together added friction to his aching cock.

Their kisses, soft and tender at first became sloppy as Sasuke began to move faster, deeper, harder, and Naruto felt his whole world crumble with the strange pleasure. They were both gasping and moaning, fingers gripping tight to each other, nails digging into flesh. Naruto arched his back to meet each of Sasuke's thrusts, dragging him in deeper. He could feel the pleasure escalating, tingling through his dick and balls, up his spine, behind his eyes in his toes. He didn't want it to stop, but at the same time he longed for the orgasm that was building inside him, the flames that were going to engulf him. He stared up into Sasuke's eyes, seeing his pleasure reflected; his love reflected. For an instant they were completely as one, bodies moving in tandem, hearts pounding together, breathing synchronised. Naruto could see it in Sasuke's eyes, even as he felt the cock inside him twitch; his own orgasm washed over him, searing him with pleasure as he felt Sasuke release deep inside his ass.

Sasuke collapsed limply on top of him, damp with sweat and breathing heavily. Naruto kept his arms around him, but lowered his legs, gasping as the feel of Sasuke's cock sliding out of him. For a moment they lay there, limp and breathless. Eventually, Naruto rolled them over; Sasuke's dead-weight was beginning to effect his breathing.

They lay, side by side, pressed close together, legs tangled. Naruto caught a lock of Sasuke's sweat-damp hair and twisted it around his finger. They should really shower; they were slick with sweat and sticky with come, but he couldn't bring himself to move even an inch away from Sasuke.

"That was...different," Sasuke said eventually with a small twitch of his lips.

Naruto grinned. "Good different?" He asked.

"Amazing different," Sasuke replied. "We will definitely have to do that again."

Naruto's grin widened. "I totally agree," he said, placing a light kiss on the tip of Sasuke's nose. "Do you prefer it?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Sasuke frowned in thought. "I don't know," he replied. "I've always loved being fucked; I don't think I could just top all the time. But now I've done it, I wouldn't want to never do it again. I never realised how different it would feel. How about you? Are we going to have to start flipping a coin to see who does who?"

Naruto smirked. "Maybe," he said. "Personally, I would love to be able to fuck you while you fucked me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, since you have no way of doubling yourself, I can't see that happening. It's a shame. I wouldn't mind being the filling in a Naruto sandwich."

"Pervert," Naruto said, though the mental image was intriguing. "What if we dressed someone up as me-"

"No," Sasuke said. "I'm not touching someone who isn't you ever again. This is it for me, Naruto. You are my life."

"Yeah, I don't think I would like the idea of someone else touching you," Naruto said. "And you should realise by now that you've ruined me for anyone else. It has to be you, Sasuke. I love you more than anything, and I always will."

Naruto leaned in, and pressed his lips against Sasuke's, feeling his lover melt against him. Sasuke was all he had ever wanted, and now he had him, finally, completely had him, he was never letting him go again.

"Shit," Sasuke cursed.

Naruto pulled away to regard him with a puzzled frown. "What?"

"I just remembered that we promised your mother we'd go furniture shopping for her tomorrow."

Naruto snickered at the sudden pained look on Sasuke's face. Sasuke scowled at him and threw a handful of very limp rose petals at him.

"I had wanted to spend the day in bed. Maybe order some room service, go through the drawer and try out the contents," Sasuke said.

Naruto caught his hand, pressing their ring fingers together, the matching bands catching the fake candle light. "Sasuke, we have forever to do all that stuff," he said.

A slow smile spread on Sasuke's face. He rested his head against Naruto's chest, and let out a contented sigh. "We really do," he said.

Naruto ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair, contentment running through him. The rest of their lives. It was strange, after everything that had happened, all their long years of friendship and their months of being secret lovers, that they were only now starting out. It was the beginning of their lives together, the start of their forever.

Naruto closed his eyes as Sasuke's breathing slowed into sleep. Even with the furniture shopping, he was eager to see what tomorrow would bring. And he would do it with Sasuke at his side. A small smile flicked the corner of Naruto's mouth with this thought, and sleep claimed him.


End file.
